"We are so happy": Tears of joy as couple welcome twins after 22 years via IVF

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Atminatus Zahra, 41, gave birth to a boy and a girl in Indonesia after more than two decades of trying to conceive

- The couple's fertility doctor described the IVF round that changed their lives as having 'almost zero hope' of succeeding

- New father Afriza Yusuf Santoso revealed the family had already braced themselves to accept a life without children

An Indonesian couple has welcomed their first children, a twin boy and girl, after 22 years of trying to conceive, in a story that has moved thousands of people around the world.

Atminatus Zahra, aged 41, gave birth to the twins last month following a round of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) that her own doctor had described as carrying "almost zero hope" of success.

Woman speaks after giving birth for first time

The birth marks the end of a journey spanning more than two decades for Zahra and her husband, Afriza Yusuf Santoso.

Speaking after the birth, Afriza was candid about how close the couple had come to giving up entirely. "Honestly, this was our last attempt," he said.

"If the result had still been nothing, we would have had no choice but to accept it. But, thank God, it all worked out."

What does IVF involve?

The couple's perseverance through years of failed attempts, medical uncertainty and emotional strain makes their story all the more remarkable.

IVF, which involves fertilising an egg outside the body before transferring it to the womb, is a process many couples turn to after other conception methods prove unsuccessful.

According to the BBC, this particular cycle was one the medical team itself had little confidence in, making the outcome all the more extraordinary.

Couple's lives change with arrival of son, daughter

The story was shared by BBC Global Women on Instagram on Saturday, August 15, 2026, drawing widespread attention to the couple's two-decade wait and the moment their lives changed with the arrival of a son and a daughter.

For Zahra and Afriza, the twins represent far more than a medical milestone.

They are the realisation of a hope the couple had carried for nearly half their lives, one that survived repeated disappointments and the very real prospect that parenthood might never come.

Woman gives birth to identical quadruplets from one egg

In another story, TUKO.co.ke also highlighted about Jenitar Sau Na'amoana, a Queensland mother who made medical history by giving birth to identical quadruplets, all conceived naturally from a single fertilised egg.

This extraordinary pregnancy, described by doctors as a one-in-15-million occurrence, transformed her family from six to ten members overnight.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.