Saturday, April 10, 2010

A Random Question: Two Guys, Two Sperm, One Egg = An Embryo With Two Fathers?


Dear Readers...sometimes I get some very interesting questions and this one is no exception. It did bring up an interesting point that perhaps some of you don't realize...

Question:

A Random Question...

So this does not pertain to my life AT ALL but i was just curious, if a girl has sex with two guys at once, and she got pregnant would the child have both males genes? I'm sorry that was a really odd question but it has had me wondering about it for a while.

Thanks!! Oh, and I'm from South Carolina

Answer:

Hello,

No. Only ONE sperm can fertilize an egg (basic biology).

The egg will allow only one sperm to fertilize it. If, by chance, two sperm enter the egg at the same time the results are a triploidy embryo which results in a miscarriage. There was a very odd case in 2005 of a possible triploidy embryo making it to a successful pregnancy & delivery although the result was "semi-identical twins", one with a genetic abnormality. You can read a link to this case on Time's online site: http://bit.ly/9cEZWD . As the physician interviewed for the piece said, never say never in medicine and science.

Suffice to say, "if" you were ever to encounter this kind of complication, you do not need to worry about the embryo having two fathers.

Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
Monterey, California, U.S.A.

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