SUPERFETATION OCCURRING IN CONNECTION WITH GAMETE INTRAFALLOPIAN TRANSFER - A CASE-REPORT

This observation reports a case of superfetation which occurred in con nection with gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT). The macroscopic an d histological examination of a spontaneous abortion from a 33-year-ol d woman (15th week of pregnancy) revealed the existence of two embryos with a monochorionic diamniotic placenta (developmental age approxima tely 41 days) and two fetuses and a fetal remnant with a trichorionic and triamniotic placenta (developmental age approximately 98 days). Th e large developmental age difference of embryos and fetuses cannot be explained by retardation, because the embryos showed adequate developm ent with the development of their placenta. Moreover, the usual causes of intrauterine growth retardation could be excluded as could retenti on of the embryos since the tissues showed no autolytic changes. Conse quently the large developmental age difference is explained by assumin g that the embryos developed from successive ovulations, A second nida tion of blastocysts had occurred after the GIFT concurrently with the clinically reported hyperstimulation syndrome.