Delight as healthy twin girls born to oldest mum
A 74-year-old Indian woman has become the world’s oldest new mother after giving birth to twins.
Erramatti Mangayamma gave birth to two healthy girls at a clinic in the city of Guntur on Friday, with the babies being born by Caesarian section.
Ms Mangayamma and her husband, 78-year-old Raja Rao, who have been married for 57 years, had one round of IVF treatment in January after they were unable to conceive naturally.
Ms Mangayamma went through the menopause 30 years ago and was inspired to try IVF using donor eggs and her husband’s sperm after a neighbour conceived at the age of 55.
The delighted new mum said: “I cannot express my feelings in words. These babies complete me. My six-decade-long wait has finally come to an end.
“Now, no one can call me infertile any more.”
Mr Rao, a farmer, said their struggle to have children had overshadowed their marriage.
“After seeing the children today we have forgotten all our struggles,” he said.
Ms Mangayamma’s doctor described the births as “smooth” and said there were no health complications.
Dr S Umasankar, of the Alhalya Hospital, said: “Each baby is weighing approximately 2kg (4.4lbs) and both babies are healthy.”
Growing numbers of elderly Indians are becoming parents in later life.
The stigma of infertility and the relative affordability of IVF treatment, compared to the West have seen increasing numbers of older couples seek treatment.