A 70-year-old Ugandan woman, Safina Namukwaya, has achieved a significant milestone by giving birth to twins through IVF treatment.
This remarkable event establishes her as the oldest woman to deliver in Africa. The announcement came from the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala, highlighting not only the medical success but also the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
Medics at the hospital reported that both the mother and her newborns, a baby girl and boy, are in good health following a successful caesarean delivery on Wednesday afternoon, November 29. This marks Ms. Namukwaya’s second delivery in three years, with her first child, Sarah, born in 2020.
Despite the joyous occasion, Ms. Namukwaya shared her journey, including complications during pregnancy and the absence of her children’s father, reflecting on societal attitudes.
“Men don’t like to hear that you are going to have more than one child. ‘Even after I was admitted, my man never showed up.” Ms Namukwaya says.
Ms. Namukwaya’s life has been marked by adversity, including past miscarriages, the loss of her husband in the 1990s, and enduring community stigma for not having children. She recounted instances of being ridiculed and judged, with one young boy cruelly suggesting that she was cursed to die childless.
After the birth of her first daughter in 2020, Ms. Namukwaya shared her resilience in the face of societal judgment, stating that despite being judged for her inability to conceive after 40 years of trying, she chose to leave everything to the Almighty God, who eventually answered her prayers.
This accomplishment draws parallels with the 2019 case of Erramatti Mangayamma from India, who, at the age of 74, gave birth to twins through IVF, becoming the world’s oldest mother. Mangayamma’s story, along with Ms. Namukwaya’s, reflects the triumph of hope and determination over societal expectations and challenges.
| LIB
