One Fummi Akinade, 62, has delivered a baby boy in a private hospital in Lagos after 31 years of marriage without a child.
Despite facing infertility challenges throughout those years, Akinade said she maintained an unwavering faith in God.
Sharing her experience after delivery, Akinade told reporters that she got married to her husband in 1992 but struggled to conceive despite undergoing various gynaecological treatments, including three unsuccessful IVF procedures.
Fortunately, their fourth attempt at IVF proved to be successful, bringing them the long-awaited joy of parenthood.
Akinade mentioned that although the previous IVF attempts were conducted elsewhere, it was in this particular hospital that they finally achieved their dream.
She expressed gratitude for her husband’s unwavering support and highlighted that both of them remained hopeful and optimistic that God would bless them with a child.
“Even when I felt it was already too late to be possible, God, in His infinite mercy, made it possible for me in my lifetime. I return all glory to Him,” Akinade, whose baby was conceived through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), said in an interview.
“When someone is looking for the fruit of the womb, the person will be moving from one hospital or gynaecologist to another, undergoing a series of gynaecological investigations and treatments,” said Akinade, who delivered on Tuesday through a caesarian section procedure at 37 weeks of gestation at a private medical facility located in Lagos.
She added: “Even when I felt it was already too late to be possible, God in His infinite mercy made it possible for me in my lifetime. I return all glory to Him.
“Two major factors that kept motivating me all along are my husband’s support and one particular book that I usually read.”
Akinade urged couples who long for children to remain steadfast and have faith in God as they pursue appropriate medical assistance. She emphasized that financial constraints pose a significant hurdle in their quest for parenthood, highlighting the high costs associated with fertility treatments.
Akinade appealed to governments to consider subsidizing the expenses of IVF and other fertility procedures, particularly for economically disadvantaged couples.
“Fertility treatment is quite expensive – whether IVF or whatever. A lot of couples out there are childless and do not have the financial capacity to go for them,” she said.
Speaking from a professional point of view, a Consultant Gynecologist who delivered the baby, Dr Ayodele Ademola, said that a woman above 62 years could still conceive through IVF or other innovative methods of assisted pregnancy.
Ademola, who is also the hospital’s Medical Director, emphasized that numerous childless couples can still conceive with appropriate medical assistance.
He highlighted that the primary obstacles faced by individuals undergoing IVF are the financial commitment and the apprehension of potential failure.
“Even if the IVF fails, there are other innovative methods of assisted pregnancy to offer, including surrogacy – that’s bringing another person to carry the pregnancy in situations where the woman is unable to carry it.
“Aside the surrogacy approach, there are other advanced methods.
“Our motive is to achieve that desired result and ensure that the woman is happy, satisfied and gets value for the money spent.
“Regarding the controversy about whether old women can conceive, there are advanced innovative methods through which they can be helped to have babies,” Ademola said.
