Jacob Merton married partner Hannah in 2017, and they began trying for a family

Pair tried for a year without success, before doctor prescribed hormone therapy

Nurse revealed to Hannah that she was expecting five babies in October 2019

Couple described the pregnancy as 'a blessing' but said they are nervous about raising five children at once

An Ohio student and his wife who were trying to have children for two years without success were stunned to discover that they are now expecting quintuplets.

Jacob Merton, 22, and wife Hannah, 20, from the suburbs of Akron, met through their high school bowling team and tied the knot in 2017 - aged 18 and 19.

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They began trying for children not long afterwards, but after a year without success they sought medical help.

Jacob and Hannah

Hannah at 20 weeks

Hannah was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome - a common condition caused by a hormone imbalance within the body - and prescribed hormone therapy.

Then, in October last year, she fell pregnant and went for a scan - suspecting she might be pregnant with twins.

Initially, the nurse confirmed her hopes after discovering baby A and baby B on the ultrasound - but a bigger surprise was still to come.

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'She kept looking and she was measuring and counting and re-counting,' Hannah told ABC5 Cleveland.

'Finally after it was over, she had to pull up a chair because she was so shocked and she was like, "You're having five babies." I was just like, "How is this even possible?"'

The couple intend to keep all five children - two boys and three girls - and Hannah has now passed 20 weeks without any complications.

Baby A

Baby B

But a bigger surprise was to come for the couple, after the nurse also discovered baby C

Baby D

Baby E

She says her goal is to carry all five children to 30 weeks, but has been told that they may have to come out as early as 25 weeks because her small frame will be unlikely to support all of them.

While both parents described the pregnancy as 'a blessing', they admitted they are nervous about having to raise five children at once.

Jacob currently works at discount grocery chain Aldi but is also about to graduate from college and hopes to forge a career in financial planning.

Hannah and Jacob met while on their high school bowling team, and got married aged 19 and 18 in 2017

Hannah worked for supermarket chain Acme, but has recently quit in order to raise her new brood.

'I just have to trust that everything is going to work out okay. I have a really strong faith in God that everything is going to work out,' Hannah said.

Hannah's sister Alicia has started a GoFundMe page trying to raise money to support the new family, with a target of $8,000.

'This is her first pregnancy and she needs just about everything,' Alicia wrote. 'She doesn’t have a lot of baby things and we all know how much you need for just one.

'If you are able to donate it would be greatly appreciated. And if you are unable to donate we ask that you keep the Mertons in your prayers.'

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While instances of twins are relatively common in natural conception, pregnancies of three or more are exceptionally rare and far more likely to be the result of fertility treatments.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were just 10 sets of five babies or more born in the US last year out of 4million registered births.

Jacob and Hannah