Indian woman, 74, is thought to be the world’s oldest mother after giving birth to twins following IVF to end her six decade-long wait to start a family
- Erramatti Mangayamma delivered girls in Andhra Pradesh state this morning
- Pensioner went through menopause 30 years ago but had donor’s egg inserted
- If she’s as old as she claims, it will make her eight years older than record holder
A 74-year-old has reportedly become the world’s oldest mother after giving birth to twins through IVF.
Erramatti Mangayamma, from India’s Andhra Pradesh state, gave birth to two healthy baby girls this morning with her husband of 57 years, Raja Rao, 78, by her side.
The pensioner revealed she was inspired to try for a baby after her 55-year-old neighbour conceived.
Mangayamma has no other children and went through the menopause 30 years ago.
She said: ‘I cannot express my feeling in words. These babies complete me. My six decade-long wait has finally come to an end. Now, no one call me infertile anymore.
Erramatti Mangayamma, from India’s Andhra Pradesh state, gave birth to twin girls this morning with her husband of 57 years, Raja Rao, 78, by her side (pictured together)
The pensioner, who went through the menopause 30 years ago, said she was inspired to try for children after her 55-year-old neighbour conceived
A younger female family member cradles one of the newborn girls after the birth in Guntur city
‘I thought about taking help of IVF procedure after a neighbour conceived at the age of 55.’
The delivery took place at the Ahalya IVF, a nursing home in Guntur city, under the guidance of Dr S Umashankar.
If Mangayamma is as old as she claims, it will make her eight years older than the current record holder, Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara.
Bousada de Lara was 66 years and 358 days old when she gave birth to twin baby boys, Christian and Pau, in December 2006.
She admitted lying about her age in order to receive fertility treatment at a private clinic in Los Angeles, for which she paid a reported £30,000
The babies were delivered prematurely by caesarean section and weighed 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg) each.
Omkari Panwar, from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, claimed to be the oldest mother in the world when she gave birth to twins in 2008. But her claim to have been 70 was not provable.
Britain’s oldest mother is Elizabeth Adeney, from Lindgate in Suffolk, who gave birth to a son in May 2009 at the age of 66.
Dr Umashankar said it came as a ‘surprise’ when Mangayamma approached him last November, but revealed he saw it as a ‘challenge’.
The hospital trust, knowing the births would be historic, paid for the majority of the costs.
If Mangayamma is as old as she says she is, it will make her eight years older than the current record holder (pictured with her family after giving birth)
When a woman goes through the menopause she is no longer able to get pregnant naturally.
But IVF is still possible through the use of eggs frozen earlier in the mother’s life, or eggs from a donor.
With the plans chalked out, a team of doctors started preparing for the procedure and Mangayamma conceived in January after her first cycle of IVF.
Currently the oldest verified mother in the world, Maria Del Carmen Bousada De Lara (pictured) was 66 years and 358 days old when she gave birth to twin baby boys in 2006
She was kept in hospital throughout the pregnancy where a team of ten doctors monitored her health.
As her pregnancy progressed, scans revealed the presence of twins in her womb.
Mangayamma will not be able to breastfeed the babies as her body has stopped producing milk.