The Bizarre Story of a 40-Year-Old Woman Who Gave Birth 44 Times

According to Saed News’ society desk, a 40-year-old Ugandan woman has given birth to 44 children! Maryam lives in a village in Uganda where multiple births are common. She has spent 18 of her 40 years pregnant, giving birth to six sets of twins, four sets of triplets, three sets of quadruplets, and several singletons.

Of her 44 children, only 38 are still alive, and Maryam must single-handedly provide enough food for them all. Her life has never been easy. At the age of 12, she was forced by her stepmother to marry a 28-year-old man. Maryam recalls that her stepmother used to put broken glass in food and was responsible for killing four of her siblings. Only Maryam survived because she anticipated her stepmother’s actions. The stepmother, determined to get rid of her, forced Maryam into a marriage with a much older man who abused her.

Maryam says: “My husband had multiple wives and many children, and I had to care for them too. He was also extremely violent and would beat me whenever he had the chance.” Maryam gave birth to her first children—twins—in 1994 at the age of 13, her first triplets two years later, and her first quadruplets two years after that.

Although this may seem extraordinary to many, Maryam says it didn’t feel unusual to her, as she had seen it before. Her father had 45 children with multiple women, many of whom were twins, triplets, and quadruplets. Doctors believe her multiple births are due to genetics. Maryam had always dreamed of having six children, but by her sixth pregnancy, she already had 18! She sought medical help to stop further pregnancies, but after several tests, doctors warned that such interventions could endanger her life.

By age 23, she had 25 children and again sought medical advice. She was told to do nothing, as she still had a high number of eggs. Her pregnancy journey finally ended after the birth of her last child in 2016.

Maryam’s husband now visits the house only once a year, and when he does, he mistreats her. He comes at night and leaves before the children wake up. Their eldest son is now 23 but last saw his father at 13, and many of her children have never met him. He contributes nothing to the family, leaving Maryam to bear the entire burden. He has even failed to attend some of his children’s naming ceremonies, conducting them over the phone instead.