A new world record has been set. A 67-year-old woman has just given birth to twins, making her the world’s oldest mother. The mother, whose name has not been released at the time of this writing, gave birth in Barcelona, Spain, after undergoing in vitro fertilization in the U.S. The previous record holder was a 66-year-old Romanian who gave birth in 2005. The mother and babies were reported to be doing fine, although the babies were in an incubator.
Once this news hits the mainstream media, I’m sure there will be lots of talk about the mother being too old. As a midlife mom I’m a stanch supporter of a woman’s right to have a baby whenever she chooses. Still, 67? God bless. I can’t imagine myself being able to deal with a young child at that age. It’s one thing ,I guess, if I found myself pregnant the old-fashioned way but to go through IVF at that age, I’m not sure I personally would want to do it.
Giving birth at the age of 36, I didn’t consider myself of “advanced maternal age”. In fact, it wasn’t until I was pregnant that I realized that having a baby after the age of 35 was such a big deal to the medical community. With women delaying motherhood for careers, it’s inevitable that we will continue to see more older moms having babies. Perhaps it will become more acceptable, much in the way that being a single mom no longer holds the stigma it did decades ago. And with Americans living longer, a 67-year-old mom could live another two decades and see her child reach adulthood. My grandmother is going to be 101 on her birthday in February. My mom was 37 when I was born and she’s lived long enough to see her “baby” reach midlife. I hope that I am lucky enough to do the same.
If a woman is in good health and she understands the risks involved then why shouldn’t she become a mother in her 50’s and beyond? If a man became a father at this age, it wouldn’t be a big deal but when a woman does it’s considered an oddity. I don’t think I will ever understand the double standard.
See also:
More Older Unwed Women Having Babies
In the News: Older Fathers and Fertility