70-year-old woman gives birth to twins in Uganda thanks to IVF, health officials say

Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read
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Safina Namukwaya, 70, sits on a hospital bed at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre after giving birth in Kampala on December 03, 2023. Namukwaya gave birth to twins on November 29 at a medical facility in the Ugandan capital, where she had received fertility treatment.
Safina Namukwaya, 70, sits on a hospital bed at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre after giving birth in Kampala on December 03, 2023. Namukwaya gave birth to twins on November 29 at a medical facility in the Ugandan capital, where she had received fertility treatment.

A 70-year-old woman in Uganda gave birth to twins after undergoing fertility treatment, becoming one of the world's oldest mothers.

Safina Namukwaya gave birth to a boy and girl on Nov. 29. Namukwaya delivered the babies by cesarean section at the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Center in the capital city Kampala, the center said in a statement.

“She’s healthy. She’s talking. She’s walking around if they tell her to walk around the hospital,”  Arthur Matsiko, a spokesman for the fertility center, told The Associated Press.

The hospital said it believes Namukwaya is Africa's oldest mother.

Namukway became pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment at the center. Because of her age, donor eggs and her partner's sperm were used for the procedure, the BBC reported.

Her fertility specialist, Dr. Edward Tamale Sali, told TODAY.com the babies were born at 31 weeks, and each weighed more than 3 pounds.

“I feel great,” Namukwaya told TODAY.com through an interpreter. “Some might argue that 70 years is old, but God decided that I get to have twins at 70. There is no one that can put a limit on God’s authority and power."

Fertility treatment costs: Breaking down price ranges for IVF, IUI and more

The 70-year-old woman also gave birth in 2020

The septuagenarian also has a daughter that was born in the same facility in 2020, the AP reported. She was also born with the help of IVF.

The BBC, citing local interviews, reported that Namukwaya said her pregnancy was difficult because her partner abandoned her when he realized she was having twins.

Namukwaya said she wanted to have children because she had been "mocked" for being childless.

"I looked after people's children and saw them grow up and leave me alone. I wondered who would take care of me when I grow old," Namukwaya said, according to the BBC.

The mother told TODAY.com that she has a strong support system in her rural village to help her take care of her kids.

Safina Namukwaya, 70, (L) sits on a hospital bed while receiving a gift from a well wisher upon giving birth to twins at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala on December 03, 2023. Namukwaya gave birth to twins on November 29 at a medical facility in the Ugandan capital, where she had received fertility treatment.
Safina Namukwaya, 70, (L) sits on a hospital bed while receiving a gift from a well wisher upon giving birth to twins at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala on December 03, 2023. Namukwaya gave birth to twins on November 29 at a medical facility in the Ugandan capital, where she had received fertility treatment.

Advances in fertility treatment

Typically woman go through menopause at ages 45 to 55, meaning they're no longer able to bear children. While IVF has allowed many women to become mothers, in the United States, it's not typical for woman who are beyond their mid-50s to have the procedure. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine says embryo transfer is “discouraged in women over age 55.”

Safina Namukwaya, 70, checks on her twin babies inside an incubator at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre after giving birth in Kampala on December 03, 2023. Namukwaya gave birth to twins on November 29 at a medical facility in the Ugandan capital, where she had received fertility treatment.
Safina Namukwaya, 70, checks on her twin babies inside an incubator at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre after giving birth in Kampala on December 03, 2023. Namukwaya gave birth to twins on November 29 at a medical facility in the Ugandan capital, where she had received fertility treatment.

Dr. Brian Levine, a practice director at New York City’s fertility clinic CCRM, told TODAY.com that Namukwaya's pregnancy was "irresponsible" because of the risks.

“Data shows that women who give birth over the age of 50 have elevated rates of hypertension, gestational diabetes and preterm labor,” Levine said. “If a 70-year-old gets a blood clot, suffers a stroke or has a heart attack, the kids will be developmentally and possibly physically delayed. And who is going to take care of these medically fragile kids when their parents die?”

Advancements in fertility treatments, however, have meant more women are able to conceive. In 2019, a 74-year-old woman in Southern India became possibly the oldest woman to give birth after she had twins through IVF.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 70-year-old woman gives birth to twins via IVF, health officials say