67-Year-Old Romanian Pregnant with Twins

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67-Year-Old Romanian Pregnant with Twins

James Joyner | Thursday, December 30, 2004

Romanian doctors say a 67-year-old woman is seven months pregnant with twin girls after fertility treatment. If the pregnancy comes to full term, it is believed that Adriana Iliescu, an author and academic, will become the oldest recorded mother. Mrs Iliescu told local television she had always wanted to be a mother but had been unable to conceive naturally. She says she is optimistic about her future as a mother, claiming her family has a history of longevity.

Last year, a 65-year-old Indian woman gave birth to a boy. Schoolteacher Satyabhama Mahapatra from Nayagarh in Orissa had been impregnated with an egg from her 26-year-old niece that had been fertilised by her husband. It was the first child for Ms Mahapatra and her husband who had been married for 50 years.

Intellectually, I’m not sure that this is necessarily wrong, especially if Iliescu’s family does have a history of living into their 90s. At a visceral level, though, this makes me want to retch.

About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

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