Unorthodox
She waited her whole life to find a husband and raise a family in the traditional sense. But it wasn’t her destiny. No, hers was something far more unorthodox.
She woke from her groggy state to see the doctor place a little thing inside her arms, its smooth soft skin was worlds apart from her own wrinkly covered hands. When she saw it, tears started streaming.
Adriana Iliescu
Romanian retired university teacher, philologist, and children novel author, Adriana Iliescu, shot into the headlines when she opened up about falling pregnant at the age of 66.
Her personal story and age-defying pregnancy shocked medical professionals and sparked a world wide debate about the implications of pregnancies in older women, and for good cause.
Advanced Age Pregnancy
It has been long understood in the medical world that women who fall pregnant over the age of 35 are more likely to experience complications such as chromosome problems, stillbirths, and miscarriages, as well as major pregnancy procedures.
Bottom line is, it’s risky. So, what if the mom-to-be was in her sixties?
Her Life
Adriana Iliescu had a good life, full of academic success and achievement. The one thing she had always wanted, however, never came.
She waited most of her life to raising a family in the traditional sense; with a husband. Alas, it wasn’t in her destiny and by the time she hit menopause, she could no longer wait in dwindled hope. She decided to take matters into her own hands.
The Search
It’s not easy to reverse the natural progression of menopause. It’s a woman’s body telling her that her time for children is well and truly up. But that’s not what Adriana thought.
Adriana searched to the ends of the earth for a doctor that would help her reignite the dream that she left too late. The dream that she’d always regret waiting for. But when she finally found a doctor willing, it didn’t go as planned.
Doctor On Board
The doctor that helped Adriana declined to comment on any ethical issues attached to her case but he did comment on something else.
He felt compelled to help her through her unwavering determination to be a mother, no matter the cost. Her selfless love as well as her good condition and health for a 66-year-old proved hard to decline. But was this the right decision?
Advice Ignored
It wasn’t long before Adriana and her doctor reversed the effects of menopause. Now, she was gearing up for pregnancy, but many warned her away from her decision.
They were understandably concerned as they saw many red flags about her situation. Many of her friends and close colleagues warned her not to carry through with the pregnancy, but she didn’t listen.
Pregnant!
Adriana ignored the advice all around her. To her, she was pursuing something beyond herself, and something she’d never forgive herself for neglecting.
Once she was in the right condition, Adriana was artificially inseminated using donor eggs and sperm, and received hormone-replacement therapy. She became pregnant. But she wasn’t out of the woods yet.
Picture Of Health
Adriana prided herself on being healthier than most people half her age. She came from a family of spectacular longevity. Most of her relatives seemed to age healthily, some well into their 90's and 100’s.
She never felt like her age. Preferring to describe herself more as a 27-year-old with ample energy! She was strong, but her pregnancy was a whole different story.
Last Yard
Adriana became pregnant with triplets but as the weeks passed, one of the fetuses failed to progress and died. At 33 weeks, Adriana received more tragic news as one of her two remaining baby girls also failed to survive.
With just one baby left, her medical team did an emergency c-section. What came out was more than Adriana could bear.
Moment Of Truth
After 33 weeks after health struggles and being at the heart of the rumors and judgment that spread around the globe about her, the moment of truth was finally here.
Adriana woke from her groggy state to see the doctor place a little being in her arms, its smooth soft skin, worlds apart from her own wrinkly covered hands. But then she saw it and burst into tears.
Baby Eliza
Adrianna couldn’t believe she had given birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl. However, she was born 6 weeks prematurely so she only weighed 1.4 kilograms. Less than half the weight of a normal newborn.
Both of them recovered well and the baby, Eliza, spent 6 weeks in the hospital to achieve a healthy weight.
Ethical Debate
Despite the successful birth many experts believe that the artificial pregnancy was unethical and could have put too much of a strain on the elderly woman.
"My personal opinion is that it was completely irresponsible and shouldn't have gone ahead", declared just one doctor which was echoed by agreement online. However, some disagreed.
Challenges
Some doctors debated that there doesn’t seem to be an absolute medical reason for excluding old women from childbirth on the sole basis of age. Although, they are slightly more at risk of high blood pressure and diabetes during pregnancy.
However, the real challenge comes years after birth, as it would be difficult for an 80-year-old to raise a teenager. But what does the miracle duo look like now?
Happy Family!
Now, some 16 years later, both mother and daughter enjoy a complication-free life. And Adriana receives praise for her success and her job as a mother.
Eliza is growing to be a beautiful and much-loved young girl who sees her mom without the age hysteria of the media attention. In the end, doctors were elated over Adriana’s success but still do not recommend it.