Woman with no ovaries gives birth to identical twins: ‘It’s a true miracle’

A woman from Illinois welcomed identical twins even after her ovaries had to be removed due to cancer.

According to a March 21 report by PEOPLE, Shelly Battista was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2020 as well as BRCA1 mutation. The latter can be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer as well as other types of the disease, according to MedlinePlus, the United States National Library of Medicine’s health information service. 

Following her chemotherapy sessions, she was faced with “ovarian insufficiency” or premature ovarian failure, which “happens when a woman’s ovaries stop working normally before she is 40.” Knowing that the condition could increase her risk of developing ovarian cancer, she opted to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes taken out via surgery. 

PEOPLE reported that Shelly had eight of her embryos frozen with the Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine at Northwestern Medicine prior to her December 2020 diagnosis.

“The following December, she began trying to get pregnant. The first two attempts were not successful, but the third was,” according to the media outlet. 

Shelly was declared cancer-free in December 2022 and welcomed identical twin girls at the time. 

“It’s a true miracle. We have two babies, exactly two years cancer-free. My heart is very full,” she said. 

Recalling her wife’s journey in a recent interview with TODAY, her husband Robert said: “It’s like the best celebration of Shelly’s cancer journey. It’s like, you’ve beaten cancer, and now here’s this extra love you get on top of it.”

Their home is now filled with "lots of laughs, lots of cries, and lots of laundry," said Shelly. "It’s chaotic, but it’s perfect."