With the news that Beyonce is pregnant again – and expecting twins this time around – along came a slew of conspiracy theories that would put moon landing deniers to shame.

There was derision for Bey's beautiful flower-strewn maternity shoot , which took place with her daughter Blue Ivy but showed no sign of Jay Z, but many thought Beyonce was only putting the pictures out in public so there could be no rumours that she was 'faking' her pregnancy.

Remember what people said about her bump and birth the last time she was expecting? Here's a round-up of the most outlandish rumours surrounding Beyonce and her pregnancy.

See Beyonce's naked pregnancy shoot below

Beyonce had a surrogate who gave birth for her

Beyonce reveals her actual bump in a video published after the birth of Blue Ivy (

Image:

Beyonce / Vimeo)

One of the most persistent rumours from the moment Bey announced her pregnancy during a performance at the MTV Music Video Awards in 2011 was that it wasn't really her who was carrying a child.

Instead, the rumour mill claimed it was a surrogate mother who was pregnant with Blue Ivy – and Beyonce was just pretending to have conceived.

The speculation grew legs when it emerged she had told the media two different due dates for Blue – the first being February 2012, then in a separate interview she said it was January 2012. Blue Ivy ended up being born on January 7 2012.

Beyonce's 'fake bump'

Footage of Bey in an Australian TV interview in October 2011 went viral when her bump appeared to fold in on itself, prompting speculation that Beyonce was wearing prosthetics. However, a different camera angle revealed it was the fabric of her dress that created the folding illusion – but conspiracy theorists ran and ran with it.

The bump looked totally normal... (

Image:

Channel 7's Sunday Night)
Until she bent down (

Image:

Channel 7's Sunday Night)
Then it started shifting... (

Image:

Channel 7's Sunday Night)
...And ended up folding in on itself (

Image:

Channel 7's Sunday Night)

Beyonce gave birth through her armpit

This might be the strangest conspiracy theory of them all: that Beyonce, not wanting to risk C-section scars, underwent pioneering surgery to give birth through her armpit. Yes: her armpit. Just forget all the internal organs and bones in the way. It was clearly made up by people lacking any basic knowledge of human anatomy… but it is pretty funny.

The truth behind Beyonce's first pregnancy

Of course, Bey and Jay face strange rumours every day. Mostly they ignore the reports and get on with being one of the world's most powerful couples, but occasionally something will get to them and provoke them into responding.

That's exactly what happened after Blue Ivy was born. In her HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream, Beyonce opened up about giving birth and how she would "never be that vain" to pretend to be pregnant.

Beyonce cuddles her newborn to her in one of Blue's first trips outside (

Image:

Splash)
As Blue grew, there was no mistaking her genetics (

Image:

http://www.wenn.com/)

"I respect mothers and women so much. To be able to experience bringing a child into this world, if you're lucky and fortunate enough to experience that, I would never ever take that for granted.

"It's the most powerful thing you can do in your life – and especially after losing a child, the pain and trauma from that just makes it mean that much more . . . A child, you don't play around with that."

She went on: "My baby was born out of a conflict in my life and that struggle had to be settled. I wouldn't have gone through the pain if I hadn't gone down the path. There's something so relieving about life taking over you like that.

The first ever picture of Blue (

Image:

Instagram)

"You're playing a part in a much bigger show and that's what life is, it's the greatest show on earth . . . I felt like god was giving me a chance to assist in a miracle," she added.

There were also THOSE Illuminati rumours during her pregnancy with Blue Ivy - with conspiracy theorists claiming the name Blue Ivy was an acronym for Born Living Under Evil, Illuminati's Very Youngest, and that the reversal of the moniker was Latin for Lucifer's daughters name.

Naturally, these ridiculous ideas were never confirmed.

Beyonce is thought to be in her second trimester with her twins, putting her due date some time in late summer 2017.