n Indian woman who claims to be about 70 years old has given birth to her first child, her doctor said Tuesday.
Rajo Devi delivered a baby girl by Caesarean section last month, said Dr. Anurag Bishnoi of the National Fertility Center in northern Haryana state.
The baby girl, conceived through in vitro fertilization treatment, was born on Nov. 28 and was in good condition, the doctor said.
"I'm happy. The baby is doing well," Devi said in a telephone interview.
It is impossible to verify whether Devi is the world's oldest woman to give birth as she has no birth certificate. Devi, who lives in a village north of New Delhi, says she is about 70 years old and her husband, a farmer, around 72.
Devi said the couple, after being childless during 55 years of marriage, received in vitro treatment at the fertility center in April, after reading newspaper reports of a 58-year-old woman who last year delivered twins conceived through the procedure.
A growing number of couples have turned to fertility treatments in India, where there are relatively lax regulations for such procedures.
In 2006, Carmela Bousada of Spain became what was believed to be the oldest new mother when she delivered twin boys at age 66 .
Before that, Romanian citizen Adriana Iliescu gave birth to a baby girl in January 2005, also at 66. Bousada was 130 days older than Iliescu when she gave birth.
12/9/2008 5:51 AM
NEW DELHI (AP)
Mother Rajo Devi, 70, holding her daughter poses with her husband Bala Ram, 72, right, at the National Fertility Center in Hisar, India, Monday, Dec. 8, 2008. Rajo Devi who claims to be about 70 years old has given birth to her first child, her doctor said Tuesday. The baby girl, conceived through in vitro fertilization treatment, was born on Nov. 28 and was in good condition, the doctor said.
(AP Photo/Devendra Uppal)
n Indian woman who claims to be about 70 years old has given birth to her first child, her doctor said Tuesday.
