A 70-year-old Ugandan woman gave birth to twins after becoming pregnant through IVF treatment, according to the hospital where she was treated.
The woman and her two babies are doing well, according to medical staff, after being delivered via cesarean.
Safina Namukwaya became Africa’s oldest woman to give birth on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala, Uganda.
‘This is a story of the strength and perseverance of the human spirit, not just medical success,’ the hospital stated.
Ms Namukwaya told the NTV channel that this was her second delivery in three years, following the birth of a girl named Sarah in 2020.
The woman and her two babies are doing well, according to medical staff, after being delivered via cesarean section.The mother stated that she had experienced some issues and hardships during her pregnancy, including the departure of her children’s father.
‘Men don’t appreciate hearing you’re going to have more than one child,’ adds Ms Namukwaya. ‘My man never showed up, even after I was accepted.’
Ms Namukwaya claimed she experienced miscarriages in the past, lost her spouse in the 1990s, and faced humiliation in her society for not having any children. ‘Once, a very little youngster heckled me, saying my mother had cursed me to die without a child,’ she explained.
Ms Namukwaya claimed following the birth of her first child that she was criticized for failing to conceive after 40 years of trying.
‘Many people condemned and attacked me for being barren,’ she remarked shortly after the birth of her first baby in 2020.
While Ms Namukway’s situation is unusual, it is not the first time a woman has given birth at a later age.
Erramatti Mangayamma of India became the world’s oldest mother in 2019 when she gave birth to twins via IVF at the age of 74.
Mangayamma of Andhra Pradesh gave birth to two healthy baby daughters with her 57-year-old husband, Sitarama Rajarao, by her side.