Leading maternal health professionals have dismissed the myths surrounding extraordinarily long pregnancies, specifically debunking claims that a woman can remain pregnant for years.
According to consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists, a typical human pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, or approximately 10 months. Any pregnancy extending beyond this period is considered abnormal and poses significant health risks.
The experts’ statements follow a controversial claim by a middle-aged woman, Janet Dada, who alleged that she has been pregnant for over eight years despite multiple ultrasound scans indicating no fetus.
Dada's case mirrors similar extraordinary claims, such as those made by former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who recently described his mother’s 3.5-year pregnancy, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who claimed his own mother carried him for 12 months. However, health experts strongly refuted these stories.
Professor Oluwarotimi Akinola, a former president of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria, emphasized that pregnancy dating is determined from the first day of the last menstrual period.
He explained that irregular menstrual cycles could lead to confusion over pregnancy timelines. He also pointed out that certain medical conditions, like ovarian cancer or abdominal tumors, could mimic pregnancy symptoms, further complicating diagnosis.
Additionally, Professor Abubakar Panti of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, clarified that pregnancies exceeding 42 weeks are considered post-term and, in some rare cases, can extend to 50 weeks. However, he affirmed that any claim of pregnancy lasting several years is medically impossible, often resulting from misunderstandings or misdiagnoses of conditions such as molar pregnancies or abdominal cysts.
The experts warned that such misconceptions could delay necessary medical intervention, putting both mothers and babies at risk.
They called for better pregnancy education, urging women to seek early and regular antenatal care.
In addition, the gynaecologists emphasized the need for culturally sensitive educational programs to address these myths and improve maternal health outcomes.