After three failed IVF attempts, a 68-year-old Nigerian woman and her 74-year-old husband fulfilled their dream of having their own children this month, by giving birth to healthy twins.

Margaret Adenuga is thought to be the oldest first-time mother in Africa, after she welcomed a pair of twins at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, almost two weeks ago. It was reported that she and her husband, 77-year-old Noah Adenuga first tried having children soon after getting married in 1974, but despite spending their life savings and travelling to a number of places both in Africa and in Europe, they couldn’t conceive for 46 years. Still, they never lost hope, and last week, their prayers were answered.

Photo: Tembinkosi Sikupela/Unsplash

“I am a dreamer, and I was convinced this particular dream of ours will come to pass,” Noah Adenuga, a retired stock auditor, told CNN.

The babies, a boy and a girl, were delivered via C-section at 37 weeks, on April 16, but doctors only announced it last week, to give the elderly mother time to recuperate. Dr. Adeyemi Okunowo, who delivered the babies, said that Margaret was lucky to got through the delivery without major issues, but warned that other would-be mothers in their later years should be aware of the risks.

“There are age-related medical complications that come with being pregnant at that age such as the baby being born preterm. She’s lucky but many may succumb to other complications during or after having a baby,” the doctor told CNN.

Interestingly, at 68, Margaret Adenuga is not the oldest woman to give birth. That title goes to Mangayamma, who last year gave birth at the age of 74.