20YO Woman Goes To Hospital For Sore Throat, Finds Out Quadruplet Pregnancy

Katelyn Yates, a 20-year-old nursing assistant from Illinois, USA, walked into the hospital on April 1 expecting treatment for a sore throat. What she didn’t anticipate was the life-changing news that would soon follow, she was pregnant with quadruplets. 

Woman, 20, Goes To Hospital For Sore Throat, Finds Out Quadruplet Pregnancy 

Doctors recommended an X-ray to examine her throat. As a safety measure, Yates was advised to take a pregnancy test before the procedure to avoid exposing a potential foetus to radiation. To her surprise, the test came back positive, and her human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels were “off the charts,” suggesting multiple pregnancies.

This hormone, produced by the placenta, can be detected in blood tests around 11 days after conception and in urine tests after 12-14 days. Normally, hCG levels double every 72 hours and peak between 8-11 weeks before stabilising.

Initially, Yates thought the positive test result was an April Fool’s Day joke. However, reality set in when doctors confirmed the pregnancy. Her fiancé, Julian Bueker, was overjoyed when he heard the news, which provided some comfort and helped Yates manage her initial shock.

As her pregnancy progressed, complications emerged. Yates developed preeclampsia, a condition involving high blood pressure that occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy. This condition led to severe symptoms, including trouble breathing and issues with her liver and kidneys.

At 28 weeks and 4 days, Yates was admitted for an emergency C-section at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, on October 17. The quadruplets were delivered successfully, with the smallest, Elizabeth, weighing 1 pound 2 ounces, and the largest, Max, at 2 pounds 6 ounces.

Despite the challenges, the newborns are thriving. "They're doing phenomenal. They are gaining weight and growing. Elizabeth is about six grams away from reaching two pounds," Yates shared with Today. Yates also revealed that they are seeking financial support through donations to help care for her family.