61-year-old gives birth to first baby
'I hope my story is an inspiration'
By Katherine Davison
November 04 2019
Nursing assistant Ana Maria Pontelo Moreira has given birth to a son at the Hospital do Coracao Bella Suica in the city of Londrina in the southern Brazilian state of Parana after five years of IVF treatment.
Ana has fulfilled her "dream" of becoming a mother by giving birth to her first child at the age of 61.
She told reporters that she had been on the waiting list to adopt when she separated from her husband and decided to undergo IVF treatment.
“In 2014 I started the fertilisation treatment because I didn’t have a partner," the mum said.
"The gestation was calm, I only had a problem with my spine but I did treatment with an orthopedist, pilates and physiotherapy. After that everything was calm.”
She chose eggs and sperm from banks which had genetic makeups compatible with hers for the IVF.
"At 40 years old it isn’t possible to use your ovaries anymore, so I asked for a younger person, compatible with my blood type," she said.
"For the fertilisation to go well several exams were carried out.”
The baby, named Ian, weighed 3.4kg when he was delivered via a cesarean.
“I hope my story is an inspiration for other people, it’s very rewarding," the proud mum said. "I know that there are older women who want to be mothers but they are scared. I fulfilled my dream.
“The treatment wasn’t easy because I had to take hormones, it costs quite a lot and there were also lots of people who didn’t believe in it, I’m very happy.”
Mother and baby are both reportedly healthy.
Originally published as Brazilian woman gives birth to first baby at age 61
