IVF pregnancy: 68-year-old Nigerian woman gives birth to twins

A couple who have been trying to have children for more than 40 years have finally gotten their wish, but not everyone is happy about the miracle birth.

A 68-year-old Nigerian woman has become a mother for the first time after delivering a pair of twins last week.

Margarett Adenuga gave birth to the twin boy and girl at Lagos University Teaching Hospital on April 14.

Her 70-year-old husband Noah told the BBC the couple had been trying to have children for 43 years, and only became parents now following a successful IVF procedure.

Great news amidst the COVID19 Pandemic:

LUTH SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED A 68-YEAR OLD FIRST TIME MOTHER OF A TWIN#FirstTimeParent #FirstTimeInAfrica #LUTH pic.twitter.com/A8bK8uNhQM

— LUTH (@LUTHofficial) April 19, 2020

But while the new parents have welcomed the twins they’ve waited so long for, they’ve also come under fire.

Mr Adenuga said he’s been sent messages by a group of fertility doctors who said he and his wife made a reckless decision to use IVF.

He said it was a private decision and not the doctor’s concern.

Dr Adeyemi Okunowo, the attending physician at the hospital, said the birth was “a miracle” but also that the couple had taken a huge risk.

Hospital management said they wouldn’t have done the IVF procedure at its hospital but admitted Ms Adenuga for the birth because it was a medical responsibility.

The couple gave birth after trying for 43 years. Picture: Lagos University Teaching Hospital

The couple had previously had three unsuccessful attempts at conceiving through IVF, which also involved travelling to the UK.

The babies were delivered through an elective C-section two weeks ahead of term.

Twin and multiple births are more likely with IVF procedures because multiple embryos are typically used to increase the success of the procedure, but the likelihood of twins decreases based on the age of the mother.