Woman, 73, ‘becomes oldest ever to give birth’ after reportedly having twins

Husband in his 80s has stroke day after children are born, in what would be a world record if confirmed

A woman aged 73 has reportedly given birth to twin girls in eastern India.

Doctors in the east Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have claimed the woman’s age makes her the world’s oldest ever to give birth after they reportedly delivered the twins by caesarean section on Thursday, following successful IVF treatment.

According to the BBC’s Telugu service, who spoke to the doctor, the woman and her husband, she is 73 years old, but according to reports by the Hindustan Times and Indo-Asian News Service, which also reportedly spoke to both the family and the doctor, the woman is 74.

Uncertainties over exact ages are common in India, where many people do not have birth certificates.

Either way, her age makes her a contender to be the oldest woman ever to have given birth.

Erramatti Mangayamma told BBC Telugu: “It is the happiest time of my life.”

And quoted by the Indo-Asian News service, she said: “God has answered our prayers.”

She said she had seen many doctors before she and her husband, Sitarama Rajarao, found success.

Mr Rajarao told the BBC Telugu he was “very happy... everything is the work of the doctors.”

“The mother and the babies are doing well,” lead doctor Dr Uma Sankar, said.

According to SWNS, Dr Uma Sankar said Ms Mangayamma had no major health issues during the pregnancy or delivery.

She said: “As she is old, she cannot release eggs so we got eggs from a donor and collected sperm from her husband.

“Luckily, she conceived in the first cycle itself and she was found to be pregnant this January.

“It was smooth, as there were no health complications. Each baby is weighing approximately 2kgs and both the babies are healthy.

“I don’t think she will have any major health issues in the post-delivery period.”

In addition to Ms Mangayamma’s exact age being unclear, there are similar mixed reports about her husband’s age. The BBC says he is 82, the BBC Telugu service does not give him an age, and the Hindustan Times and SWNS both report he is 80 years old.

According to a separate report by the BBC, Mr Rajarao suffered a stroke on Friday – the day after the twins were born – and is now being treated in hospital.

The oldest confirmed mother was María del Carmen Bousada from Spain, who gave birth to a child when she was 66 using IVF treatment. She died of ovarian cancer two years later.

In 2016, an Indian woman from Punjab who “believed she was 70”, gave birth to her first child after receiving two years of IVF treatment.