In recent years, the average age of first-time mothers has steadily risen and many reports say that women are now more likely to have their first child in their early 30s – the average is still around age 28. All the mothers on this list have taken this delayed motherhood to the extreme as all of them are over 68 years old and some of them are even first-time mothers. These women were able to have children at such an advanced age due to modern fertility treatments. Although these women (and their husbands if they’re married) are happy with their decision to have children in their advanced stage of life, they and their doctors have earned criticism from other doctors and people around the world.
- Mangayamma Yaramati
- Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 74 years
- Date of Baby’s Birth: September 5, 2019
- Country of Origin: Andhra Pradesh, India
Yerramatti Mangayamma became the ‘world’s oldest mum’ in 2019 after giving birth to twins at the age of 73 but she is now raising her twins on her own as her husband Raja, 84, ᴅɪᴇᴅ of a heart attack. According to Yerrametti, she and Raja always tried to conceive throughout the early years of their marriage and also consulted some doctors but in vain. Yerramatti said that they lost all hopes after she entered early menopause at 40. In 2018, things changed for Yerramatti when she that a woman in her 30s used IVF technology to deliver a baby. The couple soon consulted a doctor and in 2019 the doctor confirmed Yerramatti had conceived. Yerramatti was later informed that she was having twins.
Yerramatti’s two daughters Rama Tulasi and Uma Tulasi were born by c-section on September 5, 2019.
But Raja was not so lucky as her husband ᴅɪᴇᴅ in October 2021 aged 84.
- Daljinder Kaur
- Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 72 years
- Date of Baby’s Birth: April 19, 2016
- Country of Origin: Amritsar, India
Daljinder Kaur made international news in early 2016 for giving birth to a son at the age of 72. The baby is the first for Kaur and her 79-year-old husband Mohinder Singh Gill. After nearly five decades of marriage, Kaur was finally able to have a baby after undergoing two years of IVF treatment. Although Kaur said that she was 70 years old, the hospital where she received her treatments put her at age 72 – many people in India don’t know their exact age because they don’t have a birth certificate.
Dr. Anurag Bishnoi, the doctor who provided Kaur with the fertility treatments, was criticized by other doctors and fertility experts for giving IVF treatments to someone as old as Kaur. These critics worry that Kaur’s success will give unrealistic expectations to other older women hoping to have children.
Daljinder Kaur named her son Arman, which means “wish” in Hindi.
- Rajo Devi Lohan
- Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 70 years
- Date of Baby’s Birth: November 2008
- Country of Origin: Alewa, India
In 2008, Rajo Devi Lohan gave birth to her daughter at the age of 70 in India. At the time, Lohan was the oldest known first-time mother and she garnered international attention. She was able to have her baby after receiving IVF treatment at the age of 69, but nearly ᴅɪᴇᴅ in the process.
In 2013, the Daily Mail conducted a follow-up interview with Lohan, who said that having her daughter made her stronger and that she’s “the only reason” that Lohan has not ᴅɪᴇᴅ despite being ill. As of 2015, Lohan appears to still be alive nearly a decade after giving birth to her daughter, Naveen.
- Omkari Panwar
- Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 70 years
- Date of Baby’s Birth: June 27, 2008
- Country of Origin: Muzaffarnagar, India
Omkari Panwar is another older mother from India, who gave birth to twins in 2008 at the age of 70. Panwar said that she was determined to have a son as she and her husband, Charan Singh Panwar, already have two adult daughters.
Due to her advanced age, Panwar had to undergo IVF treatment, which her husband paid for by selling his buffalos, mortgaging his land, spending his life savings, and taking out a credit card loan. The Panwars said that all the trouble they went through was worth it just to have their son as they now have an heir to their farmland.
When Omkari Panwar was told that she was now the world’s oldest mother, she replied, “If I am the world’s oldest mother it means nothing to me. I just want to see my new babies and care for them while I am still able.”
- Margaret Adenuga
- Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 68 years
- Date of Baby’s Birth: April 19, 2020
- Country of Origin: Lagos, Nigeria
Very recently, in April 2020, Margaret Adenuga became one of the oldest mothers in the world when she gave birth to twins at 68 years old. Before successfully becoming a mother for the first time, Adenuga underwent three previous IVF treatments that failed.
Despite being told the risks of getting pregnant at such an advanced age, Adenuga took the risk, and luckily it paid off. Adenuga’s pregnancy and her twins’ birth were free of any major complications and the twins were carried to full term.
Margaret Adenuga has been married to her husband Noah Adenuga since 1974 and the couple had never stopped trying to become parents.
