In a first, 74-year-old woman gives birth to twin baby girls in Andhra's Guntur

Guntur, Sep 05: Is 74 too old? A woman in India could make the record books as one of the oldest ever to give birth. Recently in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, a 74-year-old woman lady, Erramatti Mangamma, gave birth to two twin babies through IVF technology.

Erramatti Mangamma (74) got married to Errmatti Raja Rao (80) on March 22, 1962, and they hails from Nelapartipadu village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

Married for 57 years, Raja Rao Mangamma couple did not have children though they have tried everything suggested by others. They went to many doctors and hospitals but all went in vain.

However, in November 2018, they went to Ahalya Nursing Home in Guntur where they met Shanakkayala Umashakar took up their case as a challenge.

The doctors were surprised to listen to her desire and was one of the rarest cases.

Since Mangaamma attained menopause almost thirty years ago, the doctors suggested her to bear through IVF, with an egg from another woman and sperm from her husband. To which Mangaamma agreed. It was possible because Mangaamma never had blood pressure and sugar compalints.

According to reports, the babies weighed 1.8 kg. However, she will not be able to breastfeed her babies instead she will have to use milk obtained from milk bank.

On being asked why they wanted to become parents at this stage of their lives, the woman's husband Raja Rao said Zee News, "We faced lot of social stigma in our village for not having a child. We could not bear the taunts since our marriage so we tried our best but now we hope God will bless us.''

However, this isn't the first time, the oldest verified mother is Dalijinder Kaur in Punjab's Amritsar who gave birth to a baby at the age of 72. The baby was the first for Kaur and her 79-year-old husband, Mohinder Singh Gill, after nearly five decades of marriage.

Pregnancy over age 50

Pregnancy over age 50 has, over recent years, become possible for more women, and more easily achieved for many, due to recent advances in assisted reproductive technology, in particular egg donation.

The oldest mother to date to conceive, was 71 years, and the youngest mother, 5 years old. According to statistics from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, in the UK more than 20 babies are born to women over age 50 per year through in-vitro fertilization with the use of donor oocytes (eggs).