Safina Namukwaya, a 70-year-old woman from Uganda, made headlines by becoming one of the world’s oldest new mothers, giving birth to twins through in vitro fertilization (IVF). The twins, a boy and a girl were born via cesarean section on Wednesday in a Kampala hospital, where Namukwaya received her IVF treatment.
The hospital described Namukwaya’s successful delivery as more than a medical success, highlighting it as a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit. Fertility specialist Dr. Edward Tamale Sali of the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre (WHI&FC) explained that the procedure used a donor egg and the sperm from Namukwaya’s partner.
Born prematurely at 31 weeks, the twins were placed in incubators and are currently stable. WHI&FC celebrated this extraordinary achievement on their Facebook page, marking it a historic event for the hospital and IVF in Africa.
Namukwaya’s Personal Story and Second Delivery
This remarkable event marks Namukwaya’s second delivery in three years, as she previously gave birth to a baby girl in 2020. Societal pressures and the desire for companionship in later life influenced her decision to pursue motherhood.
Namukwaya expressed the challenges she faced, including the absence of her partner since her admission to the hospital and the loneliness she felt after caring for other people’s children who eventually left her. Her story highlights a medical marvel and the deeper emotional and societal aspects of motherhood at an advanced age.
