Scientific advancements have allowed many women to give birth even at grandmother age. While many celebrate this as a scientific breakthrough that offers opportunities to women, there are also numerous opinions deeming it unnatural and potentially dangerous.
An Italian woman has given birth at the age of 56. A 55-year-old British woman recently welcomed twins. A Belgian woman over 60 is also pregnant. Many women over 50, who have long been menopausal in some Western countries, have become mothers… Such news has left many astonished. Is modern medicine capable of such extraordinary feats?
This is a true story, not science fiction. Eggs are taken from a younger woman with good reproductive capabilities, fertilized with her husband’s sperm, and then the embryo is implanted in the uterus of a post-menopausal woman after she has undergone hormone injections for several months to stimulate pregnancy. Once the embryo successfully implants in the uterus, the placenta produces the necessary hormones, allowing the pregnancy to proceed.
The question that needs discussion is whether a woman should give birth after menopause. Is this a worthy scientific advancement or a mockery of natural laws? This unique success has sparked heated debates not only among Western medical professionals but also among psychologists, sociologists, and politicians. There are supportive opinions, but many dissenting voices are equally strong.
Supporters argue that this is a proud scientific advancement that enables older women to become mothers. They reason that with today’s scientific progress, it is possible to restore youth and beauty to women, so naturally, their physiological functions, including reproduction, should also be rejuvenated.
Opponents argue that this is a mockery of and goes against natural laws. At the age of 50-60, can a woman truly withstand the challenges of pregnancy? They contend that even if pregnancy is successful, there is nothing more burdensome than an elderly couple with gray hair, failing eyesight, and diminished memory and health struggling to care for a baby. The age gap between the child and its parents spans several generations, not just one. It is certain that they will not see the child grow up. What will happen to these children if their parents pass away before they have a chance to grow up?
Many scientists consider this a madness. They cite the case of Christine, a 54-year-old director of a real estate company in France. She has a 20-year-old daughter and has been separated from her ex-husband for several years; she now lives with a significantly younger man. They wish to have a child together, despite the fact that the wife has already gone through menopause. The loud advertisements from many doctors claiming they can help menopausal women conceive have given this couple much hope, and they turned to an obstetrician for assistance.
In reality, in France over the past few years, dozens of infertile women have successfully given birth through this method, but they have all been younger women without ovaries or those who went through early menopause, meaning they were still healthy and capable of pregnancy. Christine did not understand this, and the doctor did not clearly explain the potential risks to an older woman wanting to give birth.
Science enabled her to achieve her desire to conceive by using an egg from another woman, fertilized by her husband’s sperm, then implanted in her uterus. Christine became pregnant at over 54 years old, after several years of menopause. In the first six months, everything progressed well, but by the seventh month, she developed gestational hypertension. Although she underwent an emergency cesarean, the hypertension led to a stroke. Once again, Christine was saved, but she was left paralyzed. She had to sell her real estate company and became a dependent, living in a wheelchair.
Recalling this experience, Christine stated: “The doctors never informed me of the potential risks; had they told me, I would not have dared to conceive!”
Dr. Huong Lien, Health & Life
