“The happiest time of my life,” says her husband

^{Mangayamma Yaramati and her husband, Sitarama Rajarao, at their baby shower} 

A 73-year-old woman has given birth to healthy twins in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Her 82-year-old husband had a stroke the next day and is being treated in hospital.

Mangayamma Yaramati and her husband, Sitarama Rajarao, had the misfortune of never having children and suffered from social stigma. “They would call me a childless lady,” she told the media. We tried many times and saw numerous doctors, so this is the happiest time of my life.”

The children were conceived with a donor egg and the husband’s sperm. They were delivered with a Caesarean section.

“I don’t think she will have any major health issues in the post-delivery period,” her doctor says. “However, she cannot breastfeed the babies. But no worries. We can feed the babies with milk obtained from the milk bank.”

The childless couple had almost given up hope of ever becoming parents when a 55-year-old neighbour became pregnant using IVF. Inspired by her example, Ms Yaramati consulted an IVF expert last year and treatment began.

When asked who would care for the children if anything were to happen to their parents, Mr Rajarao said: “Whatever should happen will happen. It is all in the hands of God.”

Michael Cook is editor of BioEdge

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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