A 64-year-old Ugandan woman has stunned many after giving birth to a baby girl at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital.
Despite being married for 24 years, Safinah Namukwaya a resident of Nunda Village in Kalungu District had not been blessed with children.
READ ALSO: 68-year-old Nigerian woman gives birth to twins through IVF
When she attempted to get pregnant after settling with her ex-husband in 1973, she suffered an ectopic pregnancy – when an egg fertilises and grows outside the uterus – before the marriage collapsed Uganda’s Monitor reported.
She got married to another man in 1996 with high hopes that she will finally get a baby.
Unfortunately, it did not work and when she reached menopause feared her hopes of ever having children were over.
However, in March 2019 she visited the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Bukoto, Kampala and upon examination, Dr Edward Tamale Ssali advised that she tries In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
READ ALSO: Tanasha Donna: I contemplated aborting Diamond’s pregnancy, I wasn’t ready to be mother
Luckily, Safinah got pregnant and welcomed her baby girl through Caesarean section after experiencing abdominal pain, high blood pressure, difficulty in breathing and swollen legs after reaching eight months.
“What we did is that her egg cells were fertilised outside her body and when the embryos formed, we put them back into her womb,” Dr Ssali explained.
“She was lucky that her first attempt resulted in a successful pregnancy because some women make several attempts and fail,” he added.
Safinah expressed her gratitude to Allah after conceiving her bundle of joy.
“I really feel excited. It is unbelievable but I thank Allah that I have finally become a mother by His grace,” she stated.
Dr Ssali also revealed that Safinah becomes the 25th woman in Uganda above 50-years-old to conceive through IVF.
READ ALSO: Natembeya: Chiefs to be held responsible for underage pregnancies
He also noted that any woman who is not above 70 years and has a strong immunity can still be helped to conceive using her husband’s sperm, and sometimes using a donated egg from another woman.
Do you have a story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through [email protected] or call/SMS +254 731 469269
