A woman in India may have become the oldest woman to have given birth ever recorded.
Mangayamma Yaramati, who is reportedly either 73 or 74, gave birth to twin girls.
The twins were conceived with IVF, and delivered by C-section.
Because of her age, the doctors are keeping her under observation.
73-year-old woman gives birth to twin girls in Indiawww.youtube.com
Yaramati and her husband, Sitarama Rajarao, 82, decided to conceive after hearing of a neighbor who gave birth at the age of 55.
The couple felt this was important, as Yaramati was stigmatized in the village for not having children.
"They would call me a childess lady."
Yaramati said:
"We tried many times and saw numerous doctors, so this is the happiest time of my life."
If anything else, this is impressive.
The discrepancy in Yaramati's age is common in India, as many people do not have birth certificates. However, one of the doctors claims to have seen a birth certificate that puts her at 74.
If her age can be confirmed, Yaramati would easily become the oldest verified person to give birth. Previous contenders include Omkari Panwar who would have claimed the title at the age of 72, but couldn't produce her birth certificate to verify her age.
The oldest verified pregnancy is currently Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara, a Spanish woman who lied to a Los Angeles clinic about her age to receive IVF. She was 66 at the time of birth.
This is all a lot of work and risk to get pregnant at a late age.
Which has some questioning, "Why?"
The twins are Yaramati's first children. She and her husband have been together for 57 years, and had never been able to conceive before.
However the couple isn't out of the woods yet. Yaramati and the children are under observation following the delivery, and a day later, Rajarao suffered a stroke.
That said, things are looking up. According to the couple's IVF specialist, Dr. Sanakkayala Umasankar, the mother and the babies are doing fine.
"This is a medical miracle."
Miracle or not, this birth has caused controversy. The medical community in India have voiced concerns about the ethics of giving IVF treatment to someone of Yaramati's age.
Said one gynecologist:
"The doctors should not have considered the case even if the couple pleaded with them."
Yaramati's pregnancy has caused a lot of discussion over the ethics of the procedure, and the possibility of a world record.
However, it's difficult to get over the idea of someone being able to give birth at that age at all.
With the questions people have around the pregnancy, now is a good time for Yaramati to get some rest. The doctors are sure to try and verify her birth certificate to prove the record.
The power of medical science is ever increasing. Earlier this year, a child believed to be the smallest premature birth weighed only as much as an apple.
After five months, the child grew to a health five pounds and was allowed to go home with her family.
Learn more about world records with the book Guinness World Records 2020 edition, available here.
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