Oldest mother

last updated 8 January 2015

Bucharest, Romania

Adriana Iliescu, 66, became the oldest woman ever to give birth when she delivered a daughter by C-section this week. A twin sister was stillborn. Iliescu, who had been on fertility drugs for nine years to reverse the effects of menopause, was artificially inseminated with sperm from an anonymous donor. Her daughter, Eliza Maria, was born six weeks premature and weighed just 3 pounds 3 ounces at birth, but is doing well in intensive care. Many Romanians have been critical of Iliescu’s decision to have a child so late in life, but the Romanian Orthodox Church has given its approval, saying in a statement: “The Bible preaches love and procreation—at whatever age.”