A 61-year-old woman has made history by becoming the oldest mother in North Macedonia, according to health officials in the Balkan nation. The new mother, whose identity was not disclosed, underwent in vitro fertilisation (IVF), as confirmed by Irena Aleksioska Papestiev, the director of Skopje's University Clinic of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.
During a press conference, Papestiev stated, "The birth of baby Petar by a 61-year-old patient demonstrates that there are no longer any boundaries in the realm of medicine." She further explained that the patient was closely monitored throughout her pregnancy, during which she was diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes. This was not the first time the woman had sought IVF treatment; she had previously undergone 10 separate treatments.
In North Macedonia, there is no legal age restriction for women seeking IVF. Both the mother and the newborn, named Petar, were discharged from the hospital on the same day, with officials noting that the father is 65 years old. According to recent statistics, North Macedonia's fertility rate for 2023 stands at 1.48 births per woman. Since gaining independence in 1991, the country has experienced significant emigration due to economic stagnation, leading to a population decline. The last census in 2021 revealed that the country now has just 1.8 million inhabitants, a reduction of nearly 10 percent over less than two decades.
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