KEY POINTS:
For more than half a century, Rajo Devi and her husband, Bala Ram, dreamed of having a child.
Such was the desperation of Bala Ram for an heir that, 10 years into their marriage, he even married Rajo Devi's sister in an effort to produce offspring.
But even that unlikely measure failed to pay off and he and his wife (or wives) gradually accepted they would live their lives without children.
Then last year, with both aged about 70 and married for 55 years, Rajo Devi and Bala Ram learned through neighbours of a news story about a 58-year-old woman who had given birth to twins after in vitro fertilisation treatment. They decided they, too, would do the same. That was nine months ago.
Now her doctor believes Rajo Devi has become the world's oldest mother.
Late last month, she gave birth to her first child. Delivered by caesarean section on November 28, the little girl is said to be in good health.
From her home in northern Haryana state, Rajo Devi told reporters: "I'm happy. The baby is doing well."
But however happy she and her husband may be with their daughter, the event will trigger fresh debate about the wisdom of giving birth at such an advanced age.
Is it good for the parents, is it good for the child? Is there a different standard applied to elderly mothers as opposed to creaking fathers?
It will also focus fresh attention on regulations in India, where a growing number of couples have turned for in vitro fertilisation treatment because of the lax laws controlling such matters.
Dr Anurag Bishnoi of the so-called National Fertility Centre, a private facility in the town of Hisar, said that Rajo Devi and her husband, a farmer, came into the clinic for treatment. The embryo transfer was performed on April 19.
Bishnoi told the Times of India: "More than 15 per cent of the Indian population is facing infertility problems. There are 200 IVF centres in the country and general awareness is growing among couples.
"IVF has revolutionised the way we look at infertility. Infertility is no longer a social taboo or a divine curse. It can be treated scientifically."
It is impossible to confirm whether Rajo Devi is the oldest woman to have given birth because, as is typical in rural India, she has no birth certificate.
Asked whether the septuagenarians were prepared to raise a new baby, one relative replied: "They should not worry about bringing up their daughter; we have a joint family and there are countless people to take care of her."
- INDEPENDENT
