An Indian woman claims to have had her first child at the age of 70, making her one of the oldest first-time mothers in the world.
Jivunben Rabari and her husband Maldhari, 75, proudly showed off their son – whose name they have not revealed – to reporters as they said he had been conceived through IVF.
Rabari has said she does not have ID to prove her age, but told reporters it was 70, which would make her one of the oldest first mothers in the world. However, another Indian woman, Erramatti Mangayamma, is believed to be the oldest after having twin girls in September 2019 at the age of 74.
Rabari and Maldhari, from a small village called Mora in Gujurat, India, have been married for 45 years and have been trying unsuccessfully for a baby for decades.
They were able to have a child through IVF, which can be effective after menopause.
The couple’s doctor Naresh Bhanushali said it was ‘one of the rarest cases I have ever seen’.
Indian woman, Jivunben Rabari, who claims to be 70 has welcomed her first baby, which would make her one of the oldest new mothers in the world
Jivunben Rabari and her husband Maldhari, who is said to be 75, welcomed a son through IVF this month
The couple, from a village called Mora in Gujurat, India, have not revealed what they have named their son
Dr Naresh Bhanushali described Jivunben’s pregnancy and successful delivery as one of the ‘rarest’ cases he had ever seen
How is it possible for a woman in her 70s to give birth?
The chances of getting pregnant in your seventies naturally are virtually zero.
This is because the overwhelming majority of women go through the menopause between their late 40s and early 50s.
Most women over the age of 45 can’t conceive without the help of IVF, and the older they are, the more difficult it is.
But the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) claims that any woman of any age can get pregnant with medical help provided that she has a ‘normal uterus’, even if she no longer has ovaries.
But the success rate is just one in 50 for women over 44, let alone those into their seventies.
Medics use an egg donated by a much younger woman and it is fertilised outside of the body using a man’s sperm.
Eventually, the embryo is placed inside the woman’s womb in the hopes that she’ll become pregnant.
Most clinics in the West have age limits in place, which means rarely will women in their senior years be accepted for the procedure.
Generally the NHS will only support treatment for the women up to the age of 42.
This is done for the health of their baby and themselves.
Elderly women are more likely to develop life-threatening complications and severe long-term consequences like high blood pressure and diabetes.
Babies born to older women are also at an increased risk of getting a genetic disorder or developing mental health problems – including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or autism.
They are also more likely to be born prematurely, which can be deadly.
There have, however, been a number of instances of women into their 60s and 70s having children through IVF in India.
Dr Bhanushali said: ‘When they first came to us, we told them that they couldn’t have a child at such an old age, but they insisted.
‘They said that many of their family members did it as well. This is one of the rarest cases I have ever seen.’
The chances of a woman in her 70s getting pregnant naturally are virtually zero due to most women going through the menopause between their late 40s and early 50s.
But the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) claims that any woman of any age can get pregnant with medical help provided that she has a ‘normal uterus’, even if she no longer has ovaries.
Medics use an egg donated by a much younger woman and it is fertilised outside of the body using a man’s sperm.
Eventually, the embryo is placed inside the woman’s womb in the hopes that she’ll become pregnant.
There have been several instances of women into their 60s and 70s having children through IVF in India.
Mangayamma is believed to be the oldest woman in the world to give birth after welcoming twins through IVF aged 74.
Mangayamma gave birth to twin girls in a ‘medical miracle’ on September 5, 2019, following IVF treatments involving a donor’s egg and her husband’s sperm.
The pensioner, of Andhra Pradesh state, revealed she was inspired to try for a baby after her 55-year-old neighbour conceived.
She and husband Sitarama Raja Rao, then 82, welcomed the babies after 57 years of marriage without children, and described themselves as the ‘happiest couple on earth’.
Mangayamma said at the time: ‘I cannot express my feeling in words. These babies complete me. My six decade-long wait has finally come to an end. Now, no one call me infertile anymore.’
Mangayamma gave birth at the Ahalya IVF clinic today under the guidance of Dr S Umashankar.
Dr Umashankar said it came as a ‘surprise’ when the patient approached him last November, but revealed he saw it as a ‘challenge’.
It is believed the Ahalya IVF clinic in Guntur city paid for most of the procedure as medics knew it would be an historic achievement.
Mangayamma conceived in January 2019 after her first cycle of IVF.
She was kept in hospital throughout the pregnancy where a team of ten doctors monitored her health.
The birth smashed the previous oldest first mother by eight years.
The world’s oldest mother was officially listed by Guinness World Records as Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara, who was 66 years and 358 days old when she gave birth to twin baby boys, Christian and Pau, in December 2006.
Father Sitarama Raja Rao, 82, pictured with his hands resting on the baby’s cot, suffered a heart attack one day after declaring himself and his wife the ‘happiest couple in the world’ because of the successful delivery of their twin girls by IVF
They used an egg from a donor, fertilised with Mr Raja Rao’s sperm and conceived in the first round of treatment
The world’s oldest parents:
Age 74: Erramatti Mangayamma gave birth to twin girls in September 2019 following IVF treatment.
The pensioner, of Andhra Pradesh state, revealed she was inspired to try for a baby after her 55-year-old neighbour conceived.
She and husband Sitarama Raja Rao, then 82, welcomed the babies after 57 years of marriage without children, and described themselves as the ‘happiest couple on earth’.
Rao died from a heart attack a year after the twins were born.
Erramatti Mangayamma (pictured) gave birth to twin girls in September 2019 following IVF treatment
Age 72: Daljinder Kaur delivered her first child in April 2016 after conceiving through IVF.
Daljinder had her first child after 46 years of marriage after her husband Mohinder Singh Gill, 80, agreed to have IVF treatment following several failed attempts at having their own child.
Son Armaan Singh weighed just 3lbs 9oz at the time of birth.
Daljinder Kaur delivered her first child in April 2016 after conceiving through IVF
Age 66 and 358 days: Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara gained worldwide notoriety when she gave birth to twins aged 66 in December 2006.
The former shop worker, who was single, was branded ‘selfish and irresponsible’ by her own family over her decision to conceive so late in life.
She admitted lying about her age in order to receive fertility treatment at a private clinic in Los Angeles, for which she paid a reported £30,000
Maria returned to Barcelona where she delivered her sons by caesarean section.
She claimed to be feeling healthier than ever and predicted that she would see her children live into adulthood and eventually become a grandmother herself.
She told reporters at the time she believed she would live past 100 as she had ‘longevity in her family’.
But she died in July 2009 from cancer, having been diagnosed a year after giving birth.
Age 66 and 358 days: Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara gained worldwide notoriety when she gave birth to twins aged 66 in December 2006
Age 66: Elizabeth Adeney, from the UK, who gave birth to a son in May 2009, following IVF treatment.
Adeney travelled to Ukraine for the IVF treatment as clinics in the UK refuse to treat women over 50.
The case reignited the debate over post-menopausal motherhood which has been made possible by modern scientific techniques.
Adeney first had fertility treatment two decades before giving birth, but was told by medical experts at the time that she could no longer continue with attempts to fall pregnant.
She gave birth to her son, weighing 5lb 3oz, via caesarian section in May 2009.
Elizabeth Adeney, from the UK, who gave birth to a son in May 2009
