A woman in Germany aged 65, having undergone reproductive medical treatment, has given birth to quadruplets, making her not only the oldest mother of quadruplets, but also a mother to a brood of 17 children.
The new mother Annegret Raunigk created a media frenzy when she expressed a desire to have more children. A grandmother to seven children, Raunigk was considered too old to recieve medical reproductive intervention to concieve by German law, according to Sky News.
Raunigk then followed an artificial insemination procedure considered illegal in Germany for her age that implanted fertilised eggs in her womb at a facility in Ukraine. Her decision to proceed with the IVF treatment to have more children has been plagued by controversy, and according to ABC News a German politician branded Raungik as being negligent.
However, last week three baby boys and a girl were delivered in Berlin through a caesarean section.The babies were premature at just 26 weeks, but doctors claimed the babies have a good chance of survival. The news site quoting doctors claimed as the babies were premature and not fully developed "complications cannot be ruled out."
According to media reports, Raunigk who lives in Berlin has become the word's oldest mother of quadruplets. She is a teacher of English and Russian and is now reaching retirement.
It is reported that Raunigk decided to try to have another child when her youngest daughter, aged nine said she wanted a brother or a sister. Criticism has been hurled at her for being irresponsible, with many who claimed she would be unfit at the age of 70 to look after her four children when they begin school.
However, Raunigk has dismissed critiques and claimed it is an individuals right to decide on parenthood.