A woman from Uganda (East Africa) has experienced 4 sets of twins, 5 sets of triplets, and 5 sets of quadruplets. Only once did she give birth to a single child. Mariem Nabatanzi has 44 children at the age of 40.
Doctors have informed her that no family planning methods are suitable for her.
Mariem Nabatanzi has 44 children at the age of 40.
The Strange Mechanism of the Mother’s Body
Mariem got married at the age of 12 after being sold by her parents. Shortly after, she became pregnant and gave birth to her first child at just 13. Currently, 6 of her children have died, and her husband left her, taking all the family’s money, leaving Mariem with 38 children – 20 boys and 18 girls.
But Mariem – nicknamed “Mama Uganda” in her hometown – soon realized that she was unlike other women. After experiencing continuous births of twins, triplets, and quadruplets, she went for a check-up. Doctors told her that she has unusually large ovaries, leading to inflammation of the fallopian tubes.
She was informed that contraceptive methods would not be effective and could cause serious health issues. Treatment options are difficult to access in rural Uganda.
The Struggles of Motherhood
Mariem Nabatanzi’s husband abandoned her, taking all the family’s money. Mariem has done everything to provide for her children, from hairdressing, collecting scrap metal, brewing homemade gin, to selling herbal medicine.
All her children are from her ex-husband, who left her in 2016, the same year she gave birth to her youngest child. One of Mariem’s sons said that his mother is a “hero.”
Currently, Mariem and her parents live in 4 cramped houses made of concrete blocks with tin roofs in a village surrounded by coffee fields, about 50 km north of the capital, Kampala.
She stated that a “kind woman” donated several bunk beds for her children after her husband left. However, it is still quite cramped, with 12 people in one bedroom and 2 sharing a mattress.
Speaking about her ex-husband, Mariem shared: “I grew up in tears. My man made me suffer a lot. All my time is spent taking care of the children and working to earn a little money.”
All the money she earns is immediately spent on food, clothing, medical care, and her children’s school fees. On a wall in her house, she proudly hangs photos of some of her children at their graduation.
Her eldest child, Ivan Kibuka, is in his 20s and had to drop out of secondary school when his mother could no longer afford it. “Mom works very hard,” he said: “The workload is crushing her. We help her with what we can, like cooking and laundry, but she still has to bear the whole family’s burden.”
Mariem Nabatanzi’s numerous children.
The Limits of Science
Doctors say that she has a strong reproductive capacity and no family planning methods are suitable for her. Giving birth is the only way to “relieve” Mariem’s body.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a private medical company in the United States with offices worldwide, “Severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is uncommon but can be life-threatening.”
Other complications can include fluid accumulation in the abdomen or chest, blood clots, kidney failure, ovarian torsion, or respiratory issues.
According to Dr. Charles Kiggundu, an obstetrician at Mulago Hospital in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, the cause of the condition may be genetic.
“Her case shows a genetic tendency toward the ovulation process – releasing multiple eggs in one cycle – which significantly increases the chance of multiple births.”
