A COUPLE from Utah, USA were shocked to discover they were pregnant with two sets of identical twins.

Ashley and Tyson Gardner are having quadruplets, after a rare occurrence meant that two of the implanted embryos split.

Reported in ABC News, the couple had spent years in fertility treatment after Ashley, 27, was diagnosed with endometriosis in her early twenties. The condition means that tissue grows outside the uterus affecting fertility.

According to a fertility expert, there is approximately a one in 70 million chance of having two sets of identical twins. The couple had opted for in-vitro fertilisation as a final attempt this year and only two of the nine embryos created were viable for implantation.

Just seven weeks after undergoing IVF the couple went for an ultrasound to check if the pregnancy was viable and were delivered the news that left them gobsmacked.

Pictures of their shocked faces have gone viral on social media and the couple say they couldn’t be more thrilled and are stocking up on nappies while their friends put together fundraisers for the expectant parents.

Nearly 18 weeks pregnant, the couple know they need to take things carefully with quadruplets at a high risk for preterm birth and other complications.