In India, a 70-year-old woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy. A medical feat made possible thanks to in vitro fertilization.
This story is a miracle. Indian woman gave birth to first child at age 70, reports The Times of India. The happy event took place in India last month.
Jivunben Rabari and her 75-year-old husband Valjibhai Rabari welcomed a little boy, who lives by the sweet name of Lalo. The child was conceived by in vitro fertilization, thanks to doctors at the Harsh IVF center in Bhuj, in the Gujarat region, in the northwest of the country. The childbirth was started at eight months of pregnancy, by cesarean, because of too high blood pressure. Fortunately, everything went without a hitch at the hospital. The newborn baby pointed the tip of his nose while being in good shape.
“We had a team of doctors, including a cardiologist and a physicist available just in case… It could have gone wrong with her age, but she gave birth to a healthy baby.”, told the gynecologist Naresh Bhanushali to the media.
A desired child for 45 years
The mother, Jivunben Rabari, knew the risks she was running. Pregnancy at 70 could be dangerous for her health and that of the baby (miscarriage, malformation of the fetus). But her desire for motherhood was stronger than anything. Married for 45 years, the couple tried in vain to have a child until they were told about IVF. They were so determined that they did not hesitate to travel more than 150 kilometers from their village to go to the clinic, twice a month.
To make this work, the doctors prescribed several treatments, including drugs that stimulated and stabilized her menstrual cycle. The patient also had to undergo an operation in order toenlarge the size of her uterus which was reduced with menopause, to accommodate the embryo. A truly medical prowess.
Pregnancy at 70, the new record?
Against all expectations, Jivunben Rabari did not break the world record. She is not the only one to have had a (very) late pregnancy. In 2019, another Indian woman gave birth at the age of 75 to a baby girl. For now, this is the new record for the latest pregnancy in the world.