Since we're learning about reproduction and development for this current curriculum unit, I thought I might share with you the story of Nhlahla Ncise. Nhlahla was born in the spring of 2003 in South Africa, the second child of her mother, Cwayita. She was born a healthy 6 pound baby girl, which might not sound so unusual except for the fact that she came into this world unlike most babies.
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Nhlahla developed on her mother's liver rather than in her womb. She had to be delivered via Caesarian section, which proved to be a very delicate surgery that required a great deal of finesse and skill on the part of the surgeon--who turned out to be a liver specialist, who worked in concert with an experienced obstetrician.
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How is this possible, you say? Well, knowing a bit about the anatomy of the female reproductive system is helpful here. The fallopian tubes, where fertilization of an ovum takes place, are not directly connected to the ovaries. In fact, the ovaries are suspended by a few ligaments that hold them in place close to the fallopian tubes, but not directly connected to them, leaving a small gap. The gap is just large enough to allow a mass of cells smaller than a pinhead to slip through, though. If this cell mass slips through, it can implant on top of the uterus, on top of the tube, or even anywhere in the abdomen that is highly vascular like the liver or intestines.
It is not uncommon for a fertilized egg to implant in a location other than the uterus. In fact, when this happens, it is typically called an ectopic pregnancy and can be very dangerous for both the developing fetus and the mother. Typical ectopic pregnancies cannot be allowed to proceed, as the growing cell mass and resultant tissue can damage maternal internal structures.
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Now, how little Nhlahla was able to survive given the stiff odds against her is unknown. Of 14 such pregnancies like her mother's, only 3 babies had survived. The remaining babies did not due to blood loss or other complications. Perhaps her successful delivery was as much due to dumb luck as it was to the skill of her mother's doctors and the prenatal care her mother received. For a fetus to develop on the liver and be carried to nearly full-term (Nhlahla was delivered at 39 weeks; normal term pregnancies are 40 weeks) is an amazing feat that leaves us with a lot of questions. Could women who have had hysterectomies (who still have their ovaries) carry children? Would it be advisable for them to do so if it were possible? Could women who are sterile for whatever reason carry children this way? Might it be possible for (gasp) men to bear young this way?
Posted by scienceguru on February 18, 2008
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