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Tunisian Tops Octomom With 12 Babies

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 17, 2009 5:45 PM CDT

(Newser) – A woman in Tunisia is close to trumping octomom Nadia Suleman by giving birth to—duodectuplets? Reportedly 9 months pregnant, the teacher became pregnant with 12 babies by using a fertility treatment after two miscarriages. She and her husband are thrilled, but fertility experts are mortified: "The chances of there being a happy ending are pretty remote," says Simon Fisher at the University of Oxford.

The pair may have conceived their dozen by having sex during IVF treatment, or by refusing to destroy embryos for religious reasons, Fisher says. But "the chances of all of them surviving are extremely remote and the chance of some of them surviving without any problems is unlikely." Another expert points to ovulation induction treatment, which activates egg production but offers less control than IVF.

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This image made from a 2006 video provided by KTLA shows Nadya Suleman looking at a ultrasound of her unborn children in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/KTLA)

Nadya Suleman arrives at the City of Orange Court house on Monday July 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

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Her chances of surviving depend on how well she is monitored. It will be a tremendous strain on her even if she is young and fit. - fertility expert Simon Fisher,
University of Oxford

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