Indian woman, 74, is thought to be the world’s oldest mother after giving birth to twins following IVF to end her six decade-long wait to start a family
- Erramatti Mangayamma delivered girls in Andhra Pradesh state this morning
- Pensioner went through menopause 30 years ago but had donor’s egg inserted
- If she’s as old as she claims, it will make her eight years older than record holder
A 74-year-old has reportedly become the world’s oldest mother after giving birth to twins through IVF.
Erramatti Mangayamma, from India’s Andhra Pradesh state, gave birth to two healthy baby girls this morning with her husband of 57 years, Raja Rao, 78, by her side.
The pensioner, who went through the menopause 30 years ago, said she was inspired to try for children after her 55-year-old neighbour conceived.
She said: ‘I cannot express my feeling in words. These babies complete me. My six decade-long wait has finally come to an end. Now, no one call me infertile anymore.
Erramatti Mangayamma, from India’s Andhra Pradesh state, gave birth to twin girls this morning with her husband of 57 years, Raja Rao, 78, by her side (pictured together)
The pensioner, who went through the menopause 30 years ago, said she was inspired to try for children after her 55-year-old neighbour conceived
A younger female family member cradles one of the newborn girls after the birth in Guntur city
‘I thought about taking help of IVF procedure after a neighbour conceived at the age of 55.’
Oldest mother in the world: Spanish woman who gave birth at 66 died in 2009 leaving orphaned twins
Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara gained worldwide notoriety when she gave birth to twins aged 66 in December 2006.
The former shop worker, who was single, was branded ‘selfish and irresponsible’ by her own family over her decision to conceive so late in life.
She admitted lying about her age in order to receive fertility treatment at a private clinic in Los Angeles, for which she paid a reported £30,000
Maria returned to Barcelona where she delivered her sons by caesarean section.
She claimed to be feeling healthier than ever and predicted that she would see her children live into adulthood and eventually become a grandmother herself.
She told reporters at the time she believed she would live past 100 as she had ‘longevity in her family’.
But she died in July 2009 from cancer, having been diagnosed a year after giving birth.
The delivery took place at the Ahalya IVF, a nursing home in Guntur city, under the guidance of Dr S Umashankar.
If Mangayamma is as old as she claims, it will make her eight years older than the current record holder, Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara.
Bousada de Lara was 66 years and 358 days old when she gave birth to twin baby boys, Christian and Pau, in December 2006.
They were delivered prematurely by caesarean section and weighed 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg) each.
Omkari Panwar, from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, claimed to be the oldest mother in the world when she gave birth to twins in 2008. But her claim to have been 70 was not provable.
Britain’s oldest mother is Elizabeth Adeney, from Lindgate in Suffolk, who gave birth to a son in May 2009 at the age of 66.
Dr Umashankar said it came as a ‘surprise’ when Mangayamma approached him last November, but revealed he saw it as a ‘challenge’.
When a woman goes through the menopause she is no longer able to get pregnant naturally.
But IVF is still possible through the use of eggs frozen earlier in the mother’s life, or eggs from a donor.
With the plans chalked out, a team of doctors started preparing for the procedure and Mangayamma conceived in January after her first cycle of IVF.
If Mangayamma is as old as she says she is, it will make her eight years older than the current record holder (pictured with her family after giving birth)
Currently the oldest verified mother in the world, Maria Del Carmen Bousada De Lara (pictured) was 66 years and 358 days old when she gave birth to twin baby boys in 2006
She was kept in hospital throughout the pregnancy where a team of ten doctors monitored her health.
As her pregnancy progressed, scans revealed the presence of twins in her womb.
Mangayamma will not be able to breastfeed the babies as her body has stopped producing milk.
HOW DOES IVF WORK?
In-vitro fertilisation, known as IVF, is a medical procedure in which a woman has an already-fertilised egg inserted into her womb to become pregnant.
It is used when couples are unable to conceive naturally, and a sperm and egg are removed from their bodies and combined in a laboratory before the embryo is inserted into the woman.
Once the embryo is in the womb, the pregnancy should continue as normal.
The procedure can be done using eggs and sperm from a couple or those from donors.
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that IVF should be offered on the NHS to women under 43 who have been trying to conceive through regular unprotected sex for two years.
People can also pay for IVF privately, which costs an average of £3,348 for a single cycle, according to figures published in January 2018, and there is no guarantee of success.
The NHS says success rates for women under 35 are about 29 per cent, with the chance of a successful cycle reducing as they age.
Around eight million babies are thought to have been born due to IVF since the first ever case, British woman Louise Brown, was born in 1978.
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