In a rare occurrence, a woman gave birth to sextuplets at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) on Sunday, welcoming three boys and three girls into the world.

The woman delivered the sextuplets around 9:00am in Ward No. 212 of DMCH, sources said.

Three of the newborns are receiving care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the DMCH, while the other three are being treated in a private hospital NICU in Katabon.

Associate Professor Dr Abida Sultana of Unit-1 of the Gynecology Department at the DMCH said the mother, identified as Priya, had been admitted to the hospital the previous night.

“She gave birth to six babies on Sunday morning. However, technically, this is considered an ‘inevitable abortion’ at 27 weeks, rather than full-term births,” Dr Abida said.

The tiny newborns are currently stable. Three of them weigh 900 grams each, while the other three weigh 800 grams each.

“As of now, all six are alive and in stable condition,” she added.

Tragically, Priya had previously delivered a mature baby who did not survive during delivery.

Dr Abida noted the rarity of such pregnancies, saying, “Pregnancies with six fetuses are extremely rare and are usually the result of ovulation induction drugs. These drugs can lead to multiple conceptions, and the uterus has a limited capacity, which likely caused the premature delivery. Fortunately, we have good NICU facilities here.”

Priya’s family hails from Senbagh in Noakhali. Her brother-in-law, Babul, said, “Priya is the wife of my brother-in-law Hanif, who is currently working in Qatar.”