70-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth To A Baby For The First Time After Decades Of Trying

A 70-year-old woman in India gave birth to her first child last month, making her one of the oldest first-time mothers in the world.

Jivuben Valabhai Rabari, 70, was able to get pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby boy in what can only be called a miracle of science. Rabari from the Indian state of Gujarat used In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), a series of complex processes and more so in this particular case due to the woman’s age to conceive the child.

The woman does not have any document to prove her age but told the doctors that she is around 70. Rabari and her husband Maldhari had been married for 45 years and had been trying for a baby for decades.

Rabari’s doctor said the process was not easy. Initially, they recommended Rabari to not take the risk at her age but, she was quite adamant about conceiving.

“We first made her menstrual cycle regular by prescribing oral medicines. Then we widened her uterus which had shrunk owing to age. We fertilized her eggs and created blastocyst and transferred it to the uterus,” Rabari’s Gynaecologist, Dr. Naresh Bhanushali said, according to The Times of India.

Doctors used an egg from a younger woman and fertilized it with sperm outside the body. Afterward, the fertilized egg or embryo was placed inside the woman’s uterus in the hopes that she will become pregnant.

Fearing the risk of age-related high blood pressure, doctors successfully performed a C-section 8 months into the pregnancy.

Most women generally hit menopause in their late 40s or 50s but, their fertility declines before menopause, making naturally conceiving a child at the age of 70 virtually impossible.

However, women can still give birth at any age with medical assistance if they have a normal uterus. "The uterus, or womb, is a regenerative organ and can be returned to fully functioning condition with hormone replacement therapy," said Sarah Bosely, the health editor of The Guardian.

The is not the first time a woman in her 70s is giving birth. In fact, there have been several instances of women well into their 60s and 70s giving birth in India using IVF.

In 2016, Diljindr Kaur become a mother for the first time at the age of 72, the Indian Express reported. She too used IVF to conceive. In 2019, another Indian woman, Erramatti Mangamma gave birth to twins at the age of 74. She is believed to be the “oldest” first-time mother.