Quintuplets born to Karachi couple in exceptional case

KARACHI: In a rare event in Karachi, a couple has welcomed quintuplets, including three girls and two boys, at a local hospital, according to media reports.

The woman went through emergency caesarean section, delivering birth to five children prematurely.

Adnan Sheikh, the father of the babies, said it was the couple’s first pregnancy, one year into their marriage.

Doctors termed the deliveries extremely premature because they were born at just 29 weeks of gestation, significantly earlier than the standard 37 to 40 weeks.

Due to their undeveloped lungs—a common risk in premature deliveries, all five of the babies had extremely low birth weights and needed urgent oxygen treatment.

Their condition is being closely monitored while they are receiving round-the-clock care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Although all five newborns are gradually improving, doctors acknowledged that the first several weeks are still crucial.

Premature babies delivered before 32 weeks are more likely to suffer from infections, respiratory distress syndrome, brain hemorrhage, and long-term developmental impairments, among other potentially fatal issues.

Multiple births such as quintuplets often occur due to fertility treatments or genetic factors, but the family has not disclosed if any assisted reproductive techniques were involved in this case.