Military family gets help for twins’ rare condition
The UNC School of Medicine is the only institution in the Southeast to treat twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
Excitement. Disbelief. Panic.
Emotions are mixed for families expecting twins. Many complications can occur with a twin pregnancy: premature birth, low birth weight, preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. There are also rare cases of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
TTTS is a prenatal condition in which twins share unequal amounts of the placenta’s blood supply. This results in the two fetuses growing at different rates, a high-risk condition that comes with serious complications and even death if left untreated. Identical twins account for a third of all twin pregnancies. About two-thirds of identical twins share one placenta. Of those, 10-15% will go on to develop TTTS.
With its advanced diagnostics and surgical and medical treatments, the maternal fetal medicine unit in the obstetrics and gynecology department at the UNC School of Medicine is the only institution in the state and in the Southeast to offer procedures to treat TTTS. Dr. William Goodnight, associate professor of maternal fetal medicine, says his team completes about 20 TTTS cases a year.
Here’s the story of the Mendez family.
“I am so thankful that we were in a location where we had this accessibility at UNC,” Tatiana Mendez said.
‘Lifesaving intervention’
Tatiana Mendez and her husband, Christian, were stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, when she found out she was pregnant in June 2024. He was on active duty at the time, so her maternity care began at Womack Army Medical Center. During her first ultrasound at 10 weeks, she saw not one but two little heartbeats on the ultrasound.
“I was telling my sister-in-law that I was going to prank my husband and tell him we were having twins,” she giggled. “Little did I know, that was going to be true! God had other plans.”
The couple has a 3½-year-old daughter, and more pink was on the way after the Mendezes found out they were expecting twin girls. Since she was considered high-risk, she had ultrasound appointments every two weeks. As time progressed, her symptoms worsened.
“The tightness in my belly made it really hard to walk,” said Tatiana Mendez. “I couldn’t do any activities.”
At her 24-week ultrasound appointment, the babies were diagnosed with twin-twin transfusion syndrome — Stage 2. She was warned that this type of condition could cause her to lose one or both of her babies. UNC Maternal Fetal Medicine was immediately contacted for an appointment. The next day, they were in Chapel Hill to discuss next steps. Dr. Goodnight and his team stressed the critical nature of the TTTS diagnosis and affirmed their decision to act fast.
The surgery took place the following day. “1,760 milliliters of amniotic fluid was retrieved during my surgery,” she said. That’s double the amount in a healthy twin pregnancy.
Thankfully, the surgery was a success, and amniotic fluids for both babies returned to normal range over time. She was in recovery for three days and continued her care through UNC with routine ultrasounds.
“We are a military family, so we move a lot,” said Tatiana Mendez. “I am so thankful that we were in a location where we had this accessibility at UNC. My husband was supposed to have been deployed during this time, but his command allowed him to be by my side throughout this tough process.”
On Christmas Eve, she delivered her girls at 33 weeks. Isabella weighed 4 pounds, 7.3 ounces and Gabriella weighed 4 pounds, 12.2 ounces.
“Dr. Goodnight was phenomenal and so was his staff,” Tatiana Mendez said. “This was a lifesaving intervention, and I’m thankful that my girls are alive today. It’s super important for families to know that they are in good hands with Dr. Goodnight and his team at UNC.”
