Recently, a 74-year-old from Andhra Pradesh set a new world record as she became the oldest-ever woman to give birth.

She gave birth to beautiful twin girls through the process of IVF in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district.
Mangayamma, the happy mother, married her husband Yaramati Sitarama Rajarao, a farmer from Nelaparthipudi village in 1962.
Married for 57 years, the couple was not able to conceive a child despite consulting several doctors and visiting many temples. But recently, they opted for In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
While sharing her struggle of not being able to bear a child all these years, she shared with TOI,
“People looked at me with accusing eyes as if I had committed a sin. Neighbours would call me ‘godralu’ (a curse-word for a childless woman). However, my husband stood by me like a rock.”
Her happy husband Rajarao who is confident that they will be able to bring up the girls well shared:
“We are the happiest couple on earth today. We have our own children.”
Though the couple had given up on becoming parents, things changed when they consulted IVF expert Dr. Sanakkayala Umasankar in Guntur about a year ago. The doctor brought a team of cardiologists, gynecologists, and pediatricians together before deciding on treatment.
The doctors convinced the couple to take the IVF route since Mangayamma had crossed the menopausal stage.
Mangayamma conceived in the very first cycle of the IVF procedure as 74-year-old’s sound physical health made the job easier. The new mom went through several rounds of psychological counseling to ensure she remained mentally strong.
As the mother had crossed menopause nearly 25 years ago, to conceive a child, an egg obtained from another donor. The eggs were fertilized with the sperm of her husband Raja Rao through IVF method and helped her conceive her twins within the first cycle itself. She became pregnant in January.
Calling the incident a miracle, the doctor shared with TOI:
“Both the mother and babies are doing fine. Ten doctors worked for nine months to keep a close watch on her health. This is a medical miracle.”
Further adding he mentioned how there will be no complications except the breastfeeding:
“I don’t think she will have any major health issues in the post-delivery period. However, she cannot breast-feed the babies. But no worries. We can feed the babies with milk obtained from the milk bank.”
It is not surprising at all why the new parents are so happy and excited. While sharing their happiness, the parents shared:
“It’s due to the grace of God and doctors that I have now become a proud father of two baby girls,” said the father, who distributed sweets at the hospital while mother said
“I am very happy. After 54 years, God has answered our prayers”
Though we are extremely happy for the couple who are blessed with the lovely babies, we feel a bit disheartened. Because adoption is still not considered by many parents in a country where there are so many parentless kids waiting for being adopted.
Additionally, a debate has been triggered in the medical fraternity on whether it is wise to make a woman undergo IVF at such an age. Many gynecologists said they were against it but Dr. Umasankar, however, contended that they followed all the laws.