A 70-year-old woman in Uganda has made headlines after successfully giving birth to twins through in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, becoming one of the oldest new mothers in the world. Safina Namukwaya delivered a boy and a girl via cesarean section at a hospital in Kampala, where she had received the IVF treatment.
The hospital congratulated Ms. Namukwaya, stating that her achievement was not just a medical success, but also a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit. Dr. Edward Tamale Sali, a fertility specialist at the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre (WHI&FC), revealed that the mother used a donor egg and her partner’s sperm for the IVF procedure. The twins were born prematurely at 31 weeks and are currently in stable condition in incubators.
The Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre celebrated the milestone on their Facebook page, stating that they had successfully delivered twins to Africa’s oldest mother at the age of 70. They emphasized that this event not only highlighted their two decades of leadership in IVF but also established them as the premier fertility center in Africa.
This is not Ms. Namukwaya’s first experience with childbirth. In 2020, she gave birth to a baby girl. She shared that she had always desired to have children after facing mockery for being childless. Despite her partner’s absence during her hospital stay, Ms. Namukwaya remained optimistic and focused on the joy of welcoming her twins into the world.
This extraordinary story serves as a reminder of the possibilities offered by advancements in reproductive technology and the determination of individuals to fulfill their dreams of parenthood.
