Netflix’s new Brazilian drama series “Desperate Lies,” which can be described as a mini-telenovela, has become one of the most-watched titles of the platform only two days after its release. The story follows a woman who gets pregnant with twins from different men… Is this based on real life?
According to Netflix’s Tudum, the series isn’t based on any book or real case, but it’s instead an original story from Angela Chaves, who is deemed Brazil’s telenovela queen. The writer, however, was inspired by a real case, according to Brazilian outlet Veja Rio City.
In “Desperate Lies,” Liana (played by Juliana Paes) gets pregnant from her husband Tomás (Vladimir Brichta) and Oscar (Felipe Abib), a man who rapes her. In the series this is explained as “heteropaternal superfecundation,” and it’s a real biological phenomenon.
‘Different Lies’ True Story: Which case inspired Angela Chaves’ new series?
As explained by Veja Rio City, Chaves was inspired by a case of an American woman that took place 15 years ago. With that information, we can deduce that the case was the one of Mia Washington, who gave birth to twins from different fathers in 2008, after having intimate encounters with the two men within a five-day frame.
Per the report, the father requested a paternity test when he started to notice that the brothers didn’t look alike. However, at least at the time of the report in 2009, the family decided to stay together, and the father, James Harrison, said he loved the boys the same way.
As we said, these cases are really rare. According to an article by Haleh Cohn for McGill University website, in 2020, only 19 cases of heteropaternal superfecundation were reported worldwide. Per the USA Today article of Washington’s case, some studies have shown that 1 to 2 percent of all fraternal twins have different dads.
How does ‘heteropaternal superfecundation’ occur?
A “superfecundation” can happen when a woman’s ovary, instead of releasing one egg to be fertilized, releases two eggs. So, as sperm can remain alive and well for up to five days in the reproductive tract, if a woman has sex with two different men within those five days, the two eggs can be fertilized.
Causes for a woman to double ovulate are believed to be a high level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Double ovulation is also the reason for people to conceive fraternal twins, which are the most common type of twins, but it’s a complex trait, which could be influenced by genetics and environment.
However, it’s important to understand that two sperm cannot fertilize the same egg. That would make a pregnancy inviable. However, a single egg, fertilized by a single sperm, can split into two, which results in identical twins.