In 2019, the whole world was surprised when a 73-year-old woman in India became pregnant and successfully gave 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 to twins. At the time of becoming a parent for the first time, the mother – Mrs. Mangayamma Yaramati was 73 years old and the father – Mr. Yerramatti Raja Rao was 82 years old.
Ms. Mangayamma married her husband – a poor farmer at the age of 16. Although the couple’s relationship is very warm, they have to face the pain of never having 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. After decades of infertility treatment, the wife still could not get pregnant once.
In 1986, Ms. Mangayamma was 40 years old and going through menopause. Since then, the two thought all hope of having 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren was over. Their adoption intentions were also unsuccessful. Living in the countryside, the two grandparents often faced harsh words from the village such as calling her a “𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥less woman”. People also rumored many malicious things that made them sad.
In 2018, the two heard about a woman in the same village over 30 years old who had just given 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 by IVF. This is also the first time the old farmer couple knows about this medical method. They decided to pool their meager savings, get a clinic address, and try their luck.
Ms. Mangayamma and her husband went to the private center of Dr. Umashankar Sanakkayala – a famous artificial insemination expert in India. He opened the center with the goal of helping infertile couples to have 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren at a reasonable cost.
Initially, Dr. Sanakkayala agreed to perform artificial insemination for Ms. Mangayamma because of a misunderstanding, thinking that the woman was just over 50 years old. The reason he could not be identified is that many middle-aged and elderly people, especially in rural India, do not have 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 certificates.
It wasn’t until the 8th month of pregnancy that the doctor found out that she was 73 years old and was extremely shocked. However, pregnant women U80 make sure to be healthy enough to get pregnant and give 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡. Her pregnancy also encountered many difficulties, but because of the strong desire to have 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, the woman at the age of seven weeks overcame it. As her body no longer produced eggs, the 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 was fertilized from eggs from a donor bank with Mr. Yerramatti’s sperm. She conceived on the first try – something they themselves would not have imagined before.
On September 5, 2019, Ms. Mangayamma gave 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 to two girls by cesarean section at 38 weeks and became the world’s oldest pregnant woman. Her 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 was noticed by the world media and is considered a “miracle of medicine” in modern times.
The two girls were named Rama Tulasi and Uma Tulasi. Although weighing only 1.8kg, both are healthy until today, when they are almost 2 years old.
However, sadly, the family life of four people longed for only lasted less than a year. In October, Mr. Yerramatti passed away suddenly from a heart attack, leaving his 74-year-old wife alone as a single mother of two young 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.
Ms. Mangayamma is currently suffering from the pain of losing her husband and worrying that she will no longer be herself. Although she asked a relative to take care of the two girls when she died, she still hopes to see them grow up for as long as possible.
Recently, when receiving an interview from the press, Ms. Mangayamma shared: “It is extremely difficult for us when he is gone. But I am still here, I will use my boundless love with my two 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. little girl to continue living.”
