A 68-year-old Nigerian woman has brought some joy into the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. She is said to be the oldest new mother in Africa, after giving birth to twins at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Reports say that was the first time in the country’s history that a 68-year-old primigravida (pregnant for the first time) has given birth to twins following an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
The Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, took to Twitter to announce the news.
Great news amidst the COVID19 Pandemic:
— LUTH (@LUTHofficial) April 19, 2020
LUTH SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED A 68-YEAR OLD FIRST TIME MOTHER OF A TWIN#FirstTimeParent #FirstTimeInAfrica #LUTH pic.twitter.com/A8bK8uNhQM
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, Wasiu Adeyemo, Chairman, LUTH Medical Advisory Committee said that the woman delivered a boy and a girl on April 14 through an elective Caesarean section, at 37 weeks’ gestation.
According to him, the IVF and embryo transfer were done at a facility outside LUTH, but the woman was, thereafter, referred to LUTH at early gestation and was subsequently managed till she delivered.
“This is the first in LUTH, Nigeria and Africa,” he said, adding that both the mother and the babies were in good conditions.