A woman in Uganda became one of the world's oldest new mothers this week after she gave birth to twins – at 70 years old.
Safina Namukwaya delivered the boy and girl via cesarean section on Wednesday after she underwent an in-vitro fertilization earlier this year, according to the Women's Hospital International Fertility Centre.
"We've achieved the extraordinary – delivering twins to Africa's oldest mother aged 70," the hospital posted on its Facebook page, along with photos of Namukwaya. "Mother and babies are all well."
The hospital added that the birth is more than a "medical success; it's about the strength and resilience of the human spirit."
"In our culture, where the pain of childlessness is deeply felt, Safina's success is a beacon of hope. Let's embrace and uplift her, demonstrating the unwavering support and love inherent in our Ugandan communities," the hospital said.
According to BBC News, Namukwaya used a donor egg and her partner's sperm for the IVF procedure. The babies were born prematurely at 31 weeks and placed in incubators, the report added.
Namukwaya, who gave birth to a girl in 2020, had to deliver her newest children solo; she says her partner left her when he found out she was pregnant with twins.
"Men don't like to be told that you are carrying more than one child," Namukwaya told Uganda's Daily Monitor newspaper, per the BBC. "Ever since I was admitted here, my man has never showed up."