Mum told she'd never have kids due to early menopause has given birth - to triplets

Mum told she'd never have kids due to early menopause has given birth - to triplets Marina Selim, 30, was told she had a 'significantly diminished ovarian reserve' - meaning she'd unlikely ever be able to have babies but she defied the odds and welcomed triplets A mum who was told she couldn't conceive because she was experiencing early menopause has given birth - to triplets. Marina Selim, 30, welcomed non-identical triplets Miracle, Levi, and Suriel with her husband Bishoy Salib, 33, on November 28 last year. The couple said it was something they believed they'd never achieve, after Marina was diagnosed with a 'significantly diminished ovarian reserve' - indicating she'd be unlikely to ever have babies. Following months of unsuccessful attempts to conceive and missing her period, Marina consulted a doctor. Test findings showed it was improbable she would ever naturally conceive without an egg donation. Husband Bishoy said: "We tried to have babies from the beginning, we just thought it was normal, it's just delayed and it happens with some families, it gets delayed for a year, two, even three and then they have babies. We never thought at all that there was anything wrong." However, in August 2024, doctors examined Marina's anti-Müllerian hormone levels. The result indicates how many remaining follicles, and consequently eggs, remain in the ovary – though reveals nothing about the quality of the eggs. Marina's level returned at 0.2 picomoles per litre – significantly below the normal range of 8-65 for a woman in her age bracket. Bishoy's semen analysis, by contrast, came back normal. Medics told the couple it was highly unlikely she would ever conceive, and that she would be ineligible for NHS fertility treatment unless her levels reached above 5.4 – or 27 times higher. Bishoy, who lives in Peacehaven, East Sussex, said: "I kept telling her, we walk by faith, not by sight. I don't mind to see if we can adopt a baby, I really don't mind. But, she was very devastated, she was crying a lot – she was always asking herself 'why, why can't I have babies?". Doctors informed the couple that egg donation represented a realistic route to achieving a live birth – but for the devout Coptic Orthodox Christians, who are Egyptian, this was simply not something they could consider. Bishoy said: "I told the specialist, we are Christians and we still believe in miracles. This is what I told the specialist at the time, and when I went to the GP she told us again: 'the only way for her to get pregnant is with egg donation – unfortunately this is the only path to go'. Again, I told the GP – we're Christians and we still believe in miracles. I told the GP 'please remember me'." Refusing to abandon hope, the couple kept trying for a baby – even after Marina's periods stopped altogether in February. Then, on May 19, 2025, following a trip to watch Liverpool take on Brighton at the Amex Stadium, Bishoy urged Marina to take a pregnancy test. Bishoy said: "She looked at me and she said 'why would I do the pregnancy test if they told me I don't produce eggs?' Honestly, I don't know why I asked her at all." The next morning, though, the pair were stunned – the test came back positive. The husband said: "She was shocked – she couldn't even stand, she was shaking. She didn't know what to say, she had tears in her eyes and was laughing at the same time. She did the test at least five times, just to be sure that she was pregnant, before calling me and telling me about it." The ultimate surprise arrived later, when a medic carrying out a scan at Brighton Hospital disclosed that Marina wasn't expecting just one baby, but three. Bishoy said: "It's definitely a miracle. There is not any other explanation." The trio were delivered safely and in good health on November 28, at Royal Sussex Hospital. Bishoy said they've yet to receive a medical explanation for how their arrival was even possible. He added: "They [doctors] don't understand, honestly. None of them get it. I don't get it, we don't get it, they don't get it. We just left it like that."