An elderly woman from Lagos, Nigeria became the proud mother of twins at the age of 68. The births come as happy news after the mother had tried to conceive for over four decades. Margaret Adenuga and her husband, Noah, 77, have dreamed of becoming parents since they first got married in 1974.
The pregnancy was the result of years of planning and perseverance. Adenuga shared her inspiring story and told CNN, “I am a dreamer.”
Margaret Adenuga gave birth to a baby girl and a baby boy April 14.
68-year old woman delivered of twins @ Lagos Teaching Hospital… pic.twitter.com/9Qa6saAVzM
— Church Times Nigeria (@churchtimesng) April 19, 2020
“I am a dreamer, and I was convinced this particular dream of ours will come to pass,” Adenuga, who is a retired stock auditor, told CNN.
Before she was able to conceive, Adenuga went through three previous IVF procedures before the treatment finally worked.
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The babies were delivered via C-section at 37 weeks.
On April 14, the babies were delivered via caesarian section at 37 weeks at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). The hospital waited to make the news public because the first-time mom needed time to recuperate following the procedure.
Dr. Adeyemi Okunowo, who delivered the babies, told CNN a specialist team was assembled at the hospital to monitor the pregnancy because of her age.
“As an elderly woman and a first-time mother, it was a high-risk pregnancy and also because she was going to have twins but we were able to manage her pregnancy to term,” Okunowo said.
Although it’s possible for older women to conceive through IVF, Okunowo says doctors must detail the medical risks associated with being pregnant at that age.
“There are age-related medical complications that come with being pregnant at that age such as the baby being born preterm. She’s lucky but many may succumb to other complications during or after having a baby,” Okunowo explained.
At 68, Adenuga is certainly one of the world’s older new mothers, but not its oldest.
In September of last year, a 73-year-old woman and first-time mom gave birth to twins in India. Erramatti Mangayamma safely gave birth to two girls and become the oldest woman on record to conceive and give birth.
She and her husband married in 1962 but were not able to conceive until 2019. She had even experienced menopause 25 years earlier.
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Through IVF procedures Mangayamma was finally able to conceive and also delivered the babies via C-section.
We are so happy for these elderly mamas! Their experiences prove that if you never give up, dreams can come true.