Woman gives birth to quintuplets without IVF after 12 years of trying to become a mother

A woman gave birth to four boys and a girl, in a rare case in the Harari regional state of Ethiopia, the BBC reports.
Bedriya Adem said she and her husband are “over the moon” to have been “blessed with five children at once”.
The 35-year-old woman gave birth to four boys and a girl, all “perfectly healthy”, at Hiwot Fana Specialist Hospital on Tuesday night, the hospital said.
“I can't express my happiness in words,” she told the BBC, recalling how for 12 years she was “overwhelmed by depression and grief” until her prayers to become a mother were answered.
The hospital's medical director, Dr. Mohammed Nur Abdulahi, said the mother and babies remain under medical care at the hospital. The babies weigh between 1.3 and 1.4 kg and have a good chance of survival and healthy growth, the doctor said.
The doctor also told the BBC that Bedriya conceived the children naturally, without the help of in vitro fertilization (IVF), which the hospital does not offer. IVF can increase the chance of multiple births if more embryos are implanted.
One in 55 million chance
The chance of conceiving quintuplets naturally is about one in 55 million.
“She received regular medical care during her pregnancy and was informed that she had conceived more than one child. She had full and proper medical care throughout,” Mohammed said, describing her “enthusiasm”.
According to the mother's statements, initially, the doctors told her that she was pregnant with four children.
“I prayed for one child, and Allah gave me five,” Bedriya said.
The five children were named Naif, Ammar, Munzir, Nazira and Ansar.
A miracle in #Ethiopia! 🇪🇹
A woman and her husband could not have children for 12 years.
Now, God has given them 5 babies at once.
A 35-year-old mother at Haramaya University's Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital has given birth to 4 boys and 1 girl.
All five babies… https://t.co/iOJq09CX3s pic.twitter.com/HLN4drrydY
— Behiwot Tilahun🇪🇹 alive tilahun🇪🇹 (@BehiwotTilahun) May 6, 2026




