30 November 2023 , 14:05
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A 70-year-old mum has become the oldest woman in Africa to give birth after welcoming twins through IVF treatment, her hospital said.
Safina Namukwaya delivered a baby girl and boy on Wednesday afternoon via a caesarean, the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala, Uganda, said. Medics at the hospital said the mother and her two babies are doing well after they were delivered via a caesarean.
The hospital said: "This story isn't just about medical success; it's about the strength and resilience of the human spirit." It's believed Ms Namukwaya welcomed a baby girl called Sarah in 2020, so she's become a mother three times over in as many years.
Ms Namukwaya is pictured alongside her doctor following the caesarean (Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre)Speaking to the NTV channel, Ms Namukwaya said she had suffered some complications and difficulties during her latest pregnancy. She added she is no longer with the father of the twins.
"Men don't like to hear that you are going to have more than one child. Even after I was admitted, my man never showed up," Ms Namukwaya said.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
In the UK, the NHS normally only offers IVF to women under 43. However, a woman in India became the world's oldest mother at the age of 74 in 2019, having also gone through IVF.
And Ms Namukwaya went for the treatment at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre having tried for a baby for 40 years. She said she faced judgement and criticism during this difficult period. She said: "One time, a very young boy heckled at me saying I had been cursed by my mother to die without a child."
Speaking after welcoming her first baby, Sarah, in 2020, Ms Namukwaya said: "Many people judged and abused me for being barren but, I decided to leave everything to the Almighty God who has finally answered my prayers."
Although IVF isn't typically offered to a woman older than 43 by the NHS, some private clinics will provide this service to women further age brackets. The option uses eggs frozen earlier in the mother's life, or eggs from a donor.