Facts About Multiples
An Encyclopedia of Multiple Birth Records

There are two other sites operating with information from this site and using my writing and research without permission. This site is the original Facts About Multiples and contains news-verified facts and information. The other sites both have fakers listed.

Home | Twin Basics | Twins | Conjoined Twins | Triplets | Quadruplets | Quintuplets | Sextuplets | Septuplets + | Multiple Multiples | Fakers | FAQ & Contact

Total Sets
I have recorded 50 sets of septuplets in the world as of October 2008.

First Sets
1400s - de Bonham (England) none surviving.
1715/16 - Unidentified (Italy) 2 boys died.
1718 - Unidentified (Portugal)
1700s - Bourru/Riffault (or Briffault) (France, circa 1717) All apparently lived to be baptized. This was recorded in a diary by Malle-Dupin Roy, in the Review of French Medicine.

Living Sets
3 or 4 - There are currently three, possibly four sets in the world of septuplets with all seven surviving. There is also a set of 7 surviving octuplets.

1997 - McCaughey (Iowa, November 19 1997) 4 boys, 3 girls,  Kenneth 3lbs 4ozs, Brandon 2lbs 14ozs, Nathan 3lbs 3ozs, Joel 2lbs 15ozs, Alexis 2lbs 11ozs, Natalie 2lbs 10ozs and Kelsey 2lbs 5ozs at 31 weeks. The first set in the world to survive.

1998 - Humair/bin Mohammed Sammam (Saudi Arabia, January 14 1998) 4 boys, 3 girls Fahd, Salman, Sultan, Al-Anoud, Hind, Naif and Noura at 32 weeks. The mother was told to expect 4 babies, has 6 other children, and was not trying to get pregnant. She had been given a fertility drug to regulate her menstrual cycle. The father has 2 other wives and 9 other children. The second set in the world to survive.

2008 - Ali/Khamis (Egypt, August 16 2008) 4 boys, 3 girls, Mohammad (Hosni), Kareem (Mubarak), Bilal (Jamal), Yassin (Ala'a), Israa (Suzanne), Habiba (Khadija), Do'a (Jihan). The doctor stated he heard 9 heartbeats and that 2 fetuses were lost in utero. Early reports listed the birthweights from 3.2lbs to 6.17lbs and then later reports (including USA Today) stating they were from 3lbs 3ozs to 4lbs 10ozs. Other reports stated 2lbs 3ozs to 4lbs and 3lbs 2ozs to 6lbs 1ozs. They were born at 34 weeks. They have 3 other children.

Possibly all surviving:

2002 - Unidentified (India, September 20 2002) 7 boys. I am unsure how many survive - last I heard all 7 were doing well.

The USA Today article on the Ali/Khamis set mentioned there were 3 other sets - the McCaughey's and two Saudi Arabian sets. I am unsure if this 2nd Saudi set is really the unidentified Indian set.

In addition, there is a set of 7 surviving octuplets, born to Nkem Chukwu in December of 1998.

First US Born Set
1985 - Frustaci (California, May 21 1985) Christina (d), Bonnie (d), Patricia, James, David, Richard, Stephen at 28 weeks. Three survive. Also had twins Jaclyn & Jordan (December 21 1991).

Spontaneous Sets
Any sets born before the 60s were more than likely conceived spontaneously. Since then, I have only identified one set, stillborn at 20 weeks and born to a woman in India on April 4 2005, 4 girls and 3 boys.

Sets With Identicals
1 set - Baylis (England, May 9 1829) 4 identical. None survived.

Longest Gestation
34 weeks - Ali/Khamis (Egypt, August 16, 2008) 4 boys, 3 girls

Other Sets with Survivors
1718 - unidentified (Portugal, March 12 1718) 7 boys, 2 survived (also had quadruplets in 1717, 2 survived, spontaneous)
1936 - Martinez (Nicaragua, May 3, 4 and 5 1936) 3 survive (spontaneous)
1969 - Jusuf (Ethiopia, March 9 1969) 4 girls, 3 boys, 5 survive
1985 - Frustaci (California, May 21 1985) 4 boys, 3 girls, 3 survive, Richard, Stephen, James (d), David (d), Bonnie (d), Christina (d), Patricia
1992 - Santartia (Italy, October 23 1992) Dina, Paola, Laura, Giovanna, Francesco, Ricardo and Antonio. 5 surviving.
1993 - Hoyos/Ochoa (Colombia, October 25 1993) Paula (d), Katherine (d), Adrianna, Laura, 1 survives
1997 - unidentified (Saudi Arabia, September 1997) 1 survives
2001 - al-Qahtani (from Saudi Arabia, born in DC, July 12 2001) Bandar 2.16lbs (d Dec 01), Naif 2lbs, Abdallah 2lbs 7ozs, Abdulaziz 2.23lbs, Sultan 2.2lbs, Haifa 2lbs, Shaima 2lbs. Six survive.
2007 - Touile (Algeria, April 18 2007) 6 girls, 1 boy. The boy was stillborn. Unsure how many girls survive.

Sets Born Per Year (USA)
Since 1989 there has been an average of 0.21 sets of septuplets born per year in the US.
 

Total Sets
I have recorded 18 sets of octuplets in the world as of October 2008.

Early Sets
1921 - Ruibi (Mexico)
1934 - Unidentified (China)

Surviving Sets (One or more living)
1979 - Chianese (Italy, August 16 1979) Silvana, Anna, Valentina (d), girl (d), girl (d), Luca (d), Francesco (d), boy (d). The family had lost a set of sextuplets before this.

1996 - Raposo/Clavijo (Spain, December 5 1996) David, Angel, Miguel, Andres, Belen, Blanca, unknown (d early in utero), unknown (d Dec 5) at 30 weeks. Weights ranged from 1lb 10ozs to 3lbs 1oz.

1998 - Chukwu/Louis (Texas, December 8 and 20 1998) Ebuka 1lb 6ozs, Chidi 1lb 8.4 ozs, Echerem 1lb 9.7ozs, Chima 1lb 7.5ozs, Odera 10.3ozs (d Dec 27 1998), Gorom 1lb 7ozs, Ikem (boy) 1lb, Jioke (boy) 1lb 10ozs, at 25 and 27 weeks.

2000 - Mazzara Pierrera (Italy, Sep 13 & 17 2000) Rosa Maria, Marta, Connie, Cristina (d Sep 18), Margherita (d Oct 10), Michele (b), Angelo Gabriele (b, d Sep 17), Girolamo (b, d Sep 20), born at 26 weeks.

Most Surviving
7 - Ebuka, Chidi, Echerem, Chima, Gorom, Ikem, Jioke Louis (Texas, December 20 1998) .
6 - David, Angel, Miguel, Andres, Belen and Blanca Raposo/Clavijo (Spain, December 5 1996).
6 - Unidentified (Algeria) 6 girls survive.
4 - Michele (b), Rosa Maria, Marta and Connie Mazzara Pierrera (Italy, September 13 and 17 2000).

Spontaneous Sets
Any sets born before the 60s were conceived spontaneously.

Other Sets
There have been 18 recorded cases of octuplets, none where all 8 survived.

1971 - Unidentified (Australia)
1977 - Zerbini (Greece, July 9 1977) 5 girls and 3 boys, all of whom died within 3 days of birth.
1985 - Capan (TurkeY, December 20 1985) 5 boys, 3 girls, all 8 died within 3 days.
1985 - Unidentified (Alaska, 1985) reduced to twins.
1996 - Hudson/Allwood (England, Sep 30 & Oct 2 1996) 6 boys, 2 girls, none survived, Adam (d), Cassius (d), Donald (d), Kypros (d), Martyn (d), Nelson (d), Layne (d), Kitali (d)
1996 - Unidentified (El Salvador, 1996) No word on survivors.
2005 - Unidentified (Algeria, 2005) None survive
 

1971 - Broderick (Australia, June 13 1971) 5 boys and 4 girls. Two males were stillborn, and Richard (12 ozs) lived 6 days. None survived.
1972 - Unidentified (Pennsylvania, May 29 1972) none survived.
1976 - Unidentified (England, 1976) none survived
1977 - Unidentified (Bangladesh, May 11 1977) to a 30 year old mother, none survived.
1979 - Unidentified (Italy) (this may actually be the Chianese family who had octuplets).
1999 - Mat Saad (Malaysia, March 26 1999) Adam, Nuh, Idris, Soleh, Hud, Aishah (g), Khadijah (g), Fatimah (g) and Umi Kalsom (g), none survived more than 6 hours.
2002 - Unidentified (Sudan) She was pregnant with nonuplets, and 2 months in July 2002 in a Saudi Arabian hospital, but I heard nothing about the outcome.
2008 - Ali/Khamis (Egypt, August 16, 2008) 9 were conceived, 2 were lost in utero and 7 survive. See the Septuplets section for more information.
 

Decaplets

1924 - Spain
1936 - China on May 12 1936.
1946 - Brazil on April 22 1946. There were 2 male and 8 female, but it wasn't listed how many (if any) survived.

Decaplets (ten babies) is the highest that have ever been born in history. While higher multiples have been conceived, only ten babies were carried long enough to be born.

Undecaplets

1996 - Efsthatiou (Cyprus, 1996) Mother was 23 at the time she conceived using fertility drugs. She elected to undergo selective reduction and reduce to 4. I am not sure of the outcome.

Duodecaplets

1736 - Unidentified (London, England) Reportedly conceived 9 girls and 3 boys.
1988 - Unidentified (Switzerland) miscarried 12 fetuses.
1992 - Sciortino de Allavatti (Argentina, May 1992) Mother was 24 when she lost 12 fetuses that were conceived spontaneously (without the help of fertility treatments). This is the highest number of multiples conceived spontaneously (naturally).

Quindecaplets

1971 - Unidentified (Italy, July 22 1971) 15 fetuses were removed from the mother's womb by Dr. Gennaro Montanino after 4 months of pregnancy. She had 10 girls and 5 boys, and fertility drugs were responsible for this case. The fetuses were five inches long and five ounces in weight. The woman and her husband already had an 8 year old daughter born after similar fertility drug treatments and had wished to have another child. This was the most multiples conceived by one woman at one time.
 

 © 1997-2008 Jennifer Samson
All Rights Reserved

This website and its contents are protected by copyright law. Facts may be used in news reports, newsletters, magazines, and message board postings as long as the site is credited by name (Facts About Multiples) and with a link (http://www3.telus.net/tyee/multiples/index.html). Cutting and pasting information is prohibited, as all writing here is copyrighted to the author.