News

Romanian woman becomes world's oldest mother

Officials in a Romanian hospital have announced that a 66 year old woman has given birth after falling pregnant using IVF.

Adriana Iliescu, who underwent fertility treatment for nine years before becoming pregnant, is thought to be the oldest recorded mother. Her daughter was born 2 months prematurely by Caesarean section after her twin sisterdied in the womb.

A spokeswoman at the Giulesti Maternity Hospital in Bucharest said the surviving infant, named Eliza Maria, weighed just 1.4kg (3lb) and was still in intensive care, but breathing normally.

Doctor Bogdan Marinescu told a news conference "We wanted to wait until the 34th week of pregnancy, when the children's lungs would have reached full maturity, but we noticed on Saturday that the heart of one of the little girls had stopped beating.

"We decided to proceed with the operation to save the second girl," he added. "The mother is doing well. She is saying she has been given a new lease of life."

Ms Iliescu, a retired university professor and author of children's books, said in an interview last week that she was optimistic about her future as a mother, claiming her family had a history of longevity.

Iliescu, who will be 67 in May, became pregnant via in vitro fertilisation and doctors said this was her third attempt at carrying a pregnancy to term.

Marinescu said the eggs and sperm used had come from "healthy young people".

"From a biological point of view, Ms Iliescu proved that she can carry a pregnancy to the end," Marinescu said. "We managed to solve a case which made us all very nervous."

• What do you think about post-menopausal women giving birth? Share your views in Discuss, Debate and Deliberate