The world’s oldest first time mother is 70 and lives in India
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She is 70 years, cannot read nor write but she holds the record of being the oldest first time mother in the world. According to Randeep Ramesh of The Guardian, this biological wonder came about through the fusion of social taboo and science.
By social taboo, Ramesh was referring to childlessness, by science to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
In her community, Rajo Devi Lohan has been living a life of shame and anguish because she and her husband couldn’t bear children. When a neighbor who could read told them about the “miracle medicine” that enables event postmenopausal women to conceive, the couple entered the world of assisted reproduction technology. By selling all that they have (2 buffalos) and taking loans and mortgages, the family managed to raise 175,000 rupees (£2,500) for the IVF procedure which was conducted in a town just 30 miles away.
There were some age-associated barriers to overcome. Lohan couldn’t produce eggs anymore so an egg was purchased from a local donor. Her husband Baba’s sperms were unable to penetrate the eggs, so it has to be directly injected. The resulting embryo was implanted and resulted in a baby girl delivered in November 2008.
India is making headlines as a favorite destination in the medical tourism industry and assisted reproduction is one of the most common procedures involved. India’s success is due to the fact that there are no guidelines that regulate the maximum age of the mother or the maximum number of embryos to be implanted. As one IVF doctor was quoted as saying “moral questions about rights and wrongs do not delay us.” India’s culture focuses more on the social stigma of infertility and the mother’s right to produce children. Less consideration is given to the rights of the child.
Earlier this year, there was a controversy about a 60-year old woman who circumvented the IVF age limit in Canada by having the procedure done in India but delivered her twins in Canada.
For the oldest mother, the way ahead is clear. She plans to breastfeed her baby for at least three years and then give IVF another try. Hopefully, it will be a boy the next time around.
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