Ugandan Woman, 70, Gives Birth to Twins
A 70-year-old Ugandan woman has given birth to twins, her doctor said Thursday, in what the mother hailed as a "miracle."
Safina Namukwaya described her joy at the arrival of the twins who were born on Wednesday at a medical facility in the capital Kampala, where she had received fertility treatment.
Dr. Edward Tamale Sali, a fertility specialist at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre, told the BBC the mother used a donor egg and her partner's sperm for the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure.
"This is extraordinary achievement, delivering twins to Africa's oldest mother at 70 years," Sali told AFP.
The hospital touted the "historic event" on its Facebook page, posting a video interview with the mother and doctor.
Sali said mother and babies — a boy and a girl — were still in the care of the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre that he founded, but were in good health.
"There is no way to express my joy at this moment," said Namukwaya, who lives in the rural of Masaka about 75 miles west of Kampala.
"At 70 years when I'm considered weak, unable to get pregnant and deliver, or look after a baby, and here is a miracle of the twins," she told AFP by phone.
Namukwaya shared that despite being 70 years old, she was able to give birth to twins, defying societal expectations and medical odds. She expressed her joy and gratitude for this miracle.
Namukwaya also revealed that she had previously given birth to a girl in 2020. Prior to that, she had faced ridicule and criticism for her inability to conceive. She was labeled as a "cursed woman" due to her previous failures to produce a child. Namukwaya explained that her first husband passed away in 1992, leaving her childless. She later met her current partner in 1996.
However, Namukwaya expressed her disappointment that her partner has not visited her since she arrived at the hospital for the delivery. She speculated that he may not be happy about her giving birth to twins, as men often do not want to acknowledge the responsibility that comes with multiple children.
Source: BBC News
