Singer Jesy Nelson recently shared an emotional update regarding the complications she is experiencing in her pregnancy with twin babies. Former Little Mix singer Jesy, who is having twins with partner Zion Foster, announced that she has been diagnosed with pre-twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (pre-TTTS). The condition, which is present in pregnancies involving twins with a shared placenta, has serious risks involved and needs intense medical supervision. As Nelson embarks on this difficult journey, her story enlightens us about a rare but dangerous condition many expectant parents may not know much about.
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is a rare but dangerous condition that arises in monochorionic twin pregnancies, in which identical twins share a single placenta. The placenta supplies the developing babies with oxygen, nutrients, and blood flow, but in TTTS, there is an imbalance of blood vessels that interconnect the twins, and thus the vital resources are not evenly distributed. One twin, or the donor twin, shares excess blood with the other, referred to as the recipient twin. This leads to one baby becoming malnourished and possibly anemic, and the other in danger of heart problems due to too much blood.
Nelson described her diagnosis in a heartfelt Instagram video, explaining that she is currently in the pre-stage of TTTS and undergoing frequent monitoring. "I am being scanned twice a week, and each time, things have gotten a little worse," she shared, expressing her fears and hopes for the health of her babies.
If left untreated, TTTS can have devastating consequences. Medical research indicates that:
TTTS usually advances in stages, beginning with minimal changes in fluid levels and worsening as one twin continues to get an unequal share of blood. In extreme cases, fetal laser surgery, referred to as the Solomon technique, can be employed to divide the blood vessels and balance the twins.
Identical twins may develop differently, and their own unique form of placental sharing can have a dramatic effect on pregnancy risk. Jesy Nelson's twins are considered monochorionic diamniotic (mono/di), which means they share a placenta but have two amniotic sacs. This is the type of pregnancy in about 70% of identical twin pregnancies and carries an increased risk of complications like TTTS, umbilical cord entanglement, and growth restriction.
Conversely, dichorionic diamniotic (di/di) twins both have a separate placenta and amniotic sac, which greatly diminishes the threat of TTTS. Twin pregnancy type is normally identified by early ultrasound, with physicians being able to track future complications from inception.
Twin pregnancies, even without the presence of TTTS, entail a variety of health risks to the mother as well as infants:
Over 60% of twin pregnancies end in premature delivery, with birth usually taking place before 37 weeks. Premature infants can have immature organs and need neonatal intensive care (NICU) assistance to assist with breathing, feeding, and infection fighting.
Pregnant women with multiples are at increased risk of having high blood pressure during pregnancy. This, if left untreated, can result in preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy that can result in damage to organs, preterm labor, and in some cases, maternal or fetal death.
Pregnant women carrying multiples are twice as likely to experience anemia, a condition where the body does not produce enough healthy red blood cells. This can lead to fatigue, dizziness, and complications during delivery.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, multiple birth babies are twice as likely to have congenital abnormalities compared to single births. These can include heart defects, neural tube defects, and gastrointestinal issues.
When twins have to share a placenta, they are more likely to have polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid) or oligohydramnios (not enough amniotic fluid). Both result in distress to the babies during fetal development and can result in premature labor.
Twins are at increased risk of excessive postpartum hemorrhage because their uterus is larger and there are greater blood supply needs.
Jesy Nelson's openness about her challenging experience is raising awareness for TTTS, a condition that few individuals—let alone expectant mothers and fathers—might be aware of. Through her tearful video, Nelson stressed the significance of knowing about twin pregnancies aside from the thrill of having multiples. "We had no idea that this type of thing occurs when you're having twins. We just desperately want to make people aware of this because there are so many people who aren't aware."
Her case reminds us of the intricacies involved in twin pregnancy and the significance of early identification and medical management. For mothers carrying twins, frequent ultrasounds and vigilance can become a life-and-death issue for early detection and better outcomes of both babies.
Through constant medical attention and care, she and her partner Zion Foster remain positive and get ready for their babies to be born. In other parents whose situations are no different, the story of Nelson highlights awareness, medical progress, and emotional encouragement in handling complicated pregnancies.
The expecting parents of twin siblings are advised to discuss TTTS screening and possible interventions with their physicians to give their babies the best chance.
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Usually, the most telling symptoms of Alzheimer's disease surface in old age. With no cure and limited ways to detect it early, it is challenging to treat and manage Alzheimer's. However, a recent study says that a new blood test can help in diagnosing Alzheimer's early.
A new blood test that measures tiny loops of genetic material in the bloodstream may be able to predict when Alzheimer's disease symptoms are likely to appear, offering hope for earlier intervention of the neurodegenerative disease and more effective clinical trials.
A study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that a specific group of blood-based biomarkers known as circular RNAs could help identify people who are on the brink of developing Alzheimer's symptoms, even before memory loss or cognitive decline becomes apparent.
The current blood tests for Alzheimer's have been made after significant progress in recent years, particularly by detecting proteins linked to amyloid plaques, one of the disease's primary characteristics features.
However, these tests may present positive results for many years, even decades, before symptoms like declining memory and thinking appear. It makes it difficult for doctors to predict when the disease will actually begin affecting the patient’s quality of life.
The newly developed blood test could fill that existing gap. Scientists found that elevated levels of a set of 34 circular RNAs in blood were strongly associated with future symptoms of the onset.
According to the study, those with higher circRNA levels were nearly three times more likely to develop Alzheimer's symptoms compared with those with lower levels.
The changes appeared approximately two to four years before symptoms emerged, making them a valuable diagnostic test for predicting disease progression.
The discovery could transform existing Alzheimer's research by helping scientists identify participants who are most likely to develop symptoms during a clinical trial.
Finding out when symptoms are likely to begin would allow researchers to introduce preventive therapies at the stage when they are most likely to be effective and better evaluate whether experimental treatments can delay cognitive decline.
The current methods to assess Alzheimer's include PET brain scans, which are expensive and not widely available. Lumbar punctures (spinal taps), an invasive method, is also used.
Compared to the existing methods to screen Alzheimer's, a blood test is easier to perform, less invasive, more affordable and more accessible, especially if validated for widespread clinical use.
If doctors can ascertain the symptoms early, patients and their families can, patients’ families can plan future care and support. They can use the time to make financial and legal decisions while the person is still cognitively healthy. Patients can also adopt lifestyle changes that may help maintain brain health.
Researchers however stressed that the new circRNA test is still in the research stage and requires further validation in larger and more diverse populations before it can be adopted in clinical practice.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global medical product alert after identifying falsified batches of the cancer medicine DARZALEX (daratumumab). It also issued a warning that the counterfeit products could cause serious health risks to patients and disrupt the treatment process.
The WHO issued an alert against the circulation of falsified DARZALEX (daratumumab). The incident came to light in May and June 2026. According to the WHO, the falsified injections were found in the Maldives and Mexico after being supplied by unauthorised distributors.
In at least one reported case, hospitals received fake medication, prompting international concern over gaps in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
DARZALEX (daratumumab) is an antibody that is used to treat multiple myeloma, cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow, as well as amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, a rare blood disorder.
The drug plays a crucial role in the treatment of various types of cancer. That is why the WHO said that the circulation of its compromised version could cause delayed therapy, treatment failure, and potentially life-threatening consequences.
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WHO said the fake products deliberately misrepresent their identity, composition, or source. The manufacturer, Janssen, confirmed that the batch numbers MYS7381 and STV1K01 are not valid, and any DARZALEX product bearing these batch numbers should be considered falsified and must not be used.
The Maldives Food and Drug Authority also reported visible particulate matter inside vials from one of the counterfeit batches.
The UN health agency has urged national regulatory health bodies, healthcare providers, wholesalers, and distributors to strengthen security across the pharmaceutical supply chains to prevent the infiltration of counterfeits.
It also advised countries to closely monitor unregulated pharmaceutical markets, where counterfeit medicines are more likely to circulate.
Read more: ICMR & IIT Bombay Create Placenta-On-Chip To Study Pregnancy Disorders & Drug Safety
WHO issued precautionary measures to avoid purchasing falsified medications:
The latest warning adds to a growing list of WHO medical product alerts involving counterfeit cancer medicines.
In recent years, the WHO has issued alerts for various falsified cancer drugs including IMFINZI (durvalumab), IBRANCE (palbociclib) and DEFITELIO (defibrotide), highlighting the growing threat of counterfeit medicines that could disrupt life-saving treatment courses.
The WHO estimates that more than one in ten medical products in underdeveloped and developed countries are either substandard or falsified, making poor-quality medicines one of the world's major public health challenges.
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Indian scientists from ICMR-NIRWoH and IIT Bombay have developed "placenta-on-chip" platform that mimics key functions of the human placenta. The indigenous innovation could transform maternal and fetal health studies while reducing dependence on animal testing.
In a major breakthrough for pregnancy and fetal health research, Indian scientists have developed an indigenous “placenta-on-chip" platform that successfully mirrors several important functions of the human placenta.
According to the journal Biofabrication, the platform, developed by researchers from the ICMR-National Institute for Research on Women's Health (ICMR-NIRWoH) in collaboration with IIT Bombay, will equip scientists with a new tool to study pregnancy in depth, understand complications, and evaluate the safety of medicines during pregnancy.
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The placenta is a temporary organ that develops during pregnancy and acts as the lifeline between the mother and the unborn baby.
It provides unborn babies with oxygen and nutrients, eliminates waste products, produces hormones essential for pregnancy, and serves as a protective barrier for the baby.
Despite its vital role in the development of a healthy baby, the placenta remains one of the least understood human organs because its research during pregnancy is both ethically and technically challenging.
The placenta-on-chip operates like a laboratory platform, recreating the interface between the mother and the fetus using living human cells. It reproduces several essential functions of the placenta, including:
Researchers also demonstrated that the platform could simulate hyperglycaemic conditions similar to gestational diabetes, allowing scientists to study how pregnancy-related diseases affect placental function.
The placenta-on-chip platform could significantly improve research into pregnancy complications like:
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Scientists also believe it could become an important tool for evaluating whether medicines can cross the placental barrier, helping researchers identify drugs that are safer during pregnancy.
Pregnant women are often excluded from clinical drug trials because of ethical concerns, leaving doctors with limited research. Placenta-on-chip may help bridge this gap.
Another major advantage is its potential to reduce dependency on animals for testing. Animal studies do not always accurately reflect how the human placenta functions because placenta structures differ significantly across species. Human cell-based platforms can therefore provide more clinically relevant insights and findings.
The researchers believe the placenta-on-chip could become an important platform for studying maternal-fetal health, testing new therapies, and understanding how various complications develop during pregnancy. The innovation is a step towards establishing clinically safe procedures to tackle pregnancy-related complications.
The technology has the potential to contribute not only to safer pregnancies but also to more reliable, human-based research that could benefit global healthcare. India could progress significantly in biomedical research, influencing and advancing reproductive healthcare systems worldwide.
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