70-years-old woman delivers twins after 40 years of barrenness

A 70-year-old Ugandan woman, Safina Namukwaya, has delivered a set of twins after 40 years of waiting.

The woman delivered the twins on Wednesday through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) at the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

The hospital shared the news of the delivery via its Facebook page, stating, “70-year-old, Safina Namukwaya, speaking just before the delivery of her beautiful babies. Yes, she delivered twins, a boy and a girl. A historic achievement indeed.

“As we honour this courageous mother and anticipate the healthy growth of her twins, we invite you to celebrate with us. This story isn’t just about medical success; it’s about the strength and resilience of the human spirit.”

The IVF is a technique used to assist people with fertility issues in having babies.

During IVF, an egg is removed from the woman’s ovaries and fertilised with sperm under controlled laboratory conditions.

Thereafter, the fertilised egg, referred to as an embryo, is then returned to the woman’s womb to grow and develop.

Namukwaya, speaking to a privately owned NTV channel, shared that she recently had her second delivery in three years, giving birth to a girl in 2020.

At the age of 70, she faced various challenges during the pregnancy, including being abandoned by the father of the children. Expressing her difficulties, she mentioned, “Men don’t like to hear you’re carrying more than one child. Since I got admitted, my man hasn’t shown up.”

Namukwaya revealed that raising the children would pose challenges, but despite enduring stigma and ridicule for years due to being childless, she expressed happiness in having them. Recounting a hurtful incident, she mentioned a young boy once taunting her, claiming she was cursed by her mother to die without a child.

The hospital where she gave birth reported that Namukwaya is now the oldest woman in Africa to have given birth.