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Spanish Woman Gives Birth To Twins At Age 64

By Anne Collins | Update Date: Feb 17, 2017 10:48 AM EST

A 64-year-old Spanish woman has given birth to healthy twins on Tuesday via caesarean section. The twins are a boy weighing 5.3 pounds and a girl who weighed 4.9 pounds.

The woman who has been identified only by her initials, MIA, had her first child at age 58. In 2014, MIA's daughter was taken into care by social services due to welfare concerns. Social workers said the girl was isolated, poorly clothed, had bad personal hygiene, was not sent to school and not properly cared for.

She became pregnant again after seeking IVF treatment in the US. The hospital and the regional government's social services had discussed the woman's ability and resources to take care of the babies. No decision has been made yet about her twins.

According to The Guardian, Enrique Martin, medical director at Recoletas hospital who delivered the twins said he was proud of his team's achievement in providing an adequate medical response to a difficult situation. Martin said MIA showed up four months' pregnant at the gates of the hospital all they could do was face the situation and react.

According to Spanish Laws there is no limit on the maximum age for assisted reproduction. But the Spanish Fertility Society discourages treatments for women aged over 50.

Last year, Lina Alvarez, a 62-year-old doctor from Lugo, Spain, appeared before cameras holding her own third baby in her arms. She specializes in IVF treatments and became a symbol for many older women wishing to conceive. She was also criticized along with Carmen Bousada, a woman from Cadiz who gave birth at age 66.

Bousada died of cancer in 2009, less than three years after giving birth to her twins. Her children are now in the care of her nephew.

BBC reported a similar case in April 2016 with an Indian woman in her 70s that underwent fertility treatment. Daljinder Kaur gave birth to a healthy baby boy in India's Haryana state.

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