70-year-old woman gives birth to twins in Uganda

Following IVF treatment, a 70-year-old Ugandan woman gave birth to twins. One of the oldest women to give birth, Safina Namukwaya, had a caesarean section at a fertility centre in Kampala, the capital, and delivered a boy and a girl.

Ms. Namukwaya described it as a "miracle" to the local media.

In the last three years, Ms. Namukwaya has made two deliveries. 2020 saw her give birth to a daughter.

“We’ve achieved the extraordinary – delivering twins to Africa’s oldest mother aged 70!” the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre (WHI&FC) posted on its Facebook page.

According to Ms. Namukwaya, who spoke with Uganda's Daily Monitor, her partner left her when he found out she was expecting twins, making the pregnancy challenging.

“Men don’t like to be told that you are carrying more than one child. Ever since I was admitted here, my man has never showed up,” she said.

She went on to say that after being made fun of for not having children, she had wanted to start a family.

“I looked after people’s children and saw them grow up and leave me alone. I wondered who would take care of me when I grow old,” she added. 

It's unclear if Ms. Namukwaya chose to use a donor egg or an egg she had frozen when she was younger.

A number of procedures known as IVF (in vitro fertilisation) are available to help people who are having trouble becoming pregnant.

An egg is extracted from the woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a lab during in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

The fertilised egg, also known as an embryo, is then placed into the woman's womb to continue growing and developing through a process.

It can be done with donor eggs and sperm, or with your partner's eggs and sperm.

The age of the woman undergoing treatment and the underlying cause of her infertility affect the success rate of IVF.

It can be done with donor eggs and sperm, or with your partner's eggs and sperm.

The age of the woman undergoing treatment and the underlying cause of her infertility affect the success rate of IVF.

In general, your chances of having a healthy pregnancy increase with age. Women over 42 are typically not advised to undergo IVF because the likelihood of a successful pregnancy is considered to be too low.

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