Undergoing fertility treatment to fulfill the dream of being a mother is very common, especially at advanced ages.
But it continues to draw attention that ‘very old’ women can have children, as in the case of Mangayamma Yaramati, who at the age of 74 gave birth to twins yesterday, who have made her a mother for the first time.
But her story draws even more attention because the husband of the woman from the Andhra Pradesh region, in eastern India, who is 82 years old, has suffered a heart attack, just one day after the birth of their little ones .
The first thing that comes to mind when we hear this news is: who will take care of these children when their parents die? Is it ethical to allow pregnancy at such an advanced age?
The happiest moment of your life
A few months ago, this woman who felt “stigmatized by society for not having children” decided with her husband to undergo in vitro fertilization treatment. Only two months later, she managed to get pregnant .
Uma Sankar, the woman’s doctor, explained to the BBC that the twins were born by cesarean section, which is normal in cases as special as Yaramati’s, and that “the mother and the babies are fine .”
Parents were also “incredibly happy” yesterday and see no problem with being parents at such an advanced age.
According to Mangayamma, “We tried it many times and saw numerous doctors, so this is the happiest moment of my life.”
What unfortunately we do not know is if today they will feel equally euphoric, because the doctors who treat the husband have not communicated what his state of health is after suffering a heart attack.
One of the risks associated with becoming parents with so many years is that the children will be left without parents too soon, as we saw in the case of Carmen Bousada, the Barcelona woman who had twins at 67 and died shortly after. It is true that an accident or illness can happen at any age, but at advanced ages there is a greater risk.
And, as I said at the beginning, it is not the first time, nor will it probably be the last, that a woman is a mother when, by age, she could be a grandmother (and depending on where, even a great-grandmother). There are many cases that we have discussed in Babies and more, although this is that of the older mother.
On who would take care of the girls in case something happened to them, the recent father stated:
“Nothing is in our hands. Whatever happens, will happen. Everything is in God’s hands.”
Via | BBC
Photos | iStock
In Babies and More | The best age to have the first child is between 25 and 29 years old, A British woman is a mother at 63 years old
