The doctor who performed the successful IVF treatment told The Independent that he had never seen a similar case in his 20 years of practice.

In western India, a woman believed to be around 70 years old has given birth to her first child through a “miracle” IVF procedure.

Dr. Naresh Bhanushali, a gynecologist from the Gujarati hamlet of Bhuj, told The Independent that he successfully performed the procedure on Jivuben Vallabhai Rabari and delivered her son on September 9.

“This is an exceptional occurrence, a miracle, if you will. I have been in practice for twenty years and performed over a thousand IVF procedures, but I have never encountered a case like this. While we are pleased that the case was successful, Dr. Bhanushali insists that older women should not attempt pregnancy.

Hospital admission records viewed by The Independent did not contain Ms. Rabari’s date of birth because she lacks documents to verify her age, such as a voter identification card or birth certificate – a common problem in rural India. However, according to physicians, she indicated her age to be around 70.

Ms. Rabari, a milk farmer from the village of Rapar, approximately 100 kilometers from Bhuj, pleaded with physicians to disregard her age and attempt the treatment because she was so desperate to have a child.

“I advised her that she is too elderly and that this activity is hazardous to her health, but she refused to heed. Dr. Bhanushali, who oversaw the procedure at Bhuj’s Harsh IVF Centre & Bhanushali Nursing Home, remarked, “She finally began to cry and said, ‘Even if I die, I will be happy that at least I tried to have a child.'”

Dr. Bhanushali stated that Ms. Rabari approached him for the first time approximately one and a half years ago, after four members of her family effectively conceived through IVF treatments he administered.

“I explained that these members of the family were all between 45 and 50 years old, making IVF treatment feasible. I attempted to give her negative advice, including the possibility that she could lose her life, but she was so emotive that I gave in,” he said.

As Ms. Rabari had been postmenopausal for over 20 years, physicians enlarged her uterus and gave her hormone medications to induce menstruation prior to performing the procedure. IVF was then used to transplant a single embryo.

“In typical IVF procedures, multiple embryos are transferred, but her uterus could not accommodate more than one,” Dr. Bhanushali explained.

After 15 days, blood tests revealed that she had successfully conceived.

“The infant developed normally and without anomalies. However, in the eighth month, her blood pressure was elevated, and we decided to deliver the baby one month early,” Dr. Bhanushali explained.

Both the surgical procedure and the postoperative care went without a hitch. The baby boy, Laalo, was confined in the NICU for 15 days before his mother and he were allowed to return home.

“We were worried about what would happen to the infant if Ms. Rabari were to pass away. Dr. Bhanushali stated that the patient’s family and several villagers came to assure me that they would care for the child if anything happened to the patient.

Doctors stated that although they had taken the uttermost care to monitor her haemoglobin and had brought in critical care specialists, including cardiologists, to ensure no complications arose, the birth was still an exception.

“Although we exercised the utmost care, I must admit that both she and we were fortunate that the procedure was successful,” he said.