A 70-year-old Ugandan woman has set the record for being the oldest mother in Africa, after she gave birth following IVF.
Safina Namukwaya gave birth to twins in the Women's International and Fertility Centre Hospital in Kampala, capital city of Uganda. The twins were healthy and placed in incubators after a premature C-section delivery. Women at the age of 70 have undergone menopause, which occurs between the ages of 45 to 55, however IVF and other medical advancements have made birth at such an age possible.
'This story isn't just about medical success' announced the hospital where the twins were delivered 'it is about the strength and resilience of the human spirit.'
The mother had been trying to conceive for 40 years and despite societal stigma surrounding giving birth at a later age, continued to seek IVF treatment. She used a donor egg and her partner's sperm for the IVF procedure. This is also her second delivery, as she gave birth to her first child in 2020, meaning she now has three children.
Namukwaya said her community ostracised her for her inability to conceive and she is currently no longer with the father of the twins.
'Many people judged and abused me for being barren but, I decided to leave everything to the Almighty God who has finally answered my prayers,' she said.
Namukwaya is now the oldest mother in Africa, however not the oldest mother ever documented. That title goes to Erramatti Mangayamma, a 73-years-old Indian woman who gave birth to IVF-conceived twins in 2019.
NHS-funded IVF is only offered to women under 43 years of age. While some private clinics may offer IVF services to older women, it will require the use of frozen eggs previously obtained from the patient herself or donor eggs.
Sources and References
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Woman, 70, 'gives birth to twins after IVF treatment': Ugandan becomes the oldest person to give birth in Africa, hospital says
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Seventy-year-old Ugandan woman gives birth to twins - hospital
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Woman aged 70 gives birth and becomes one of the world's oldest mums
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Ugandan woman, 70, welcomes twins after years of barrenness
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