A Nigerian mother has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, at the age of 68.
What We Know:
- Margaret Adenuga went through three previous IVF procedures before finally giving birth to twins.
- Her husband Noah Adenuga, 77, said they’ve longed to have children of their own. The couple have been married since 1974.
- Adenuga said they never gave up even after the failed attempts. The retired stock auditor said “I am a dreamer, and I was convinced this particular dream of ours will come to pass.”
- The babies were delivered through the means of a caesarian section at 37 weeks at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The hospital only recently made the news public to give the first-time mother time to recuperate.
- Dr. Adeyemi Okunowo, who delivered the babies, stated that a specialist team was assembled at the hospital to monitor the pregnancy because of her age.
- “As an elderly woman and a first-time mother, it was a high-risk pregnancy and also because she was going to have twins but we were able to manage her pregnancy to term,” Okunowo said.
- Okunowo said even though older women are able to conceive through IVF, doctors must lay bare the medical risks associated with being pregnant at that age.
- “There are age-related medical complications that come with being pregnant at that age such as the baby being born preterm. She’s lucky but many may succumb to other complications during or after having a baby,” he said.
Last year, a 73-year-old Indian woman safely delivered twin girls after she conceived through IVF and is reported to be the oldest person to give birth.
