Express News Service By

CHENNAI: Coming to the aid of her young daughter who was unable to conceive due to a medical complication, a 61-year-old woman, a grandmother well past menopause, lent her womb to carry her grandchild to term. This is the second time in India a woman is giving birth to her grandchild, said doctors here on Friday.

Over two years ago, the woman’s 27-year-old youngest daughter had conceived almost immediately after her marriage. However, in the seventh month of pregnancy, she developed what is called ‘placental abruption’ where the placenta was separated from the wall of the womb.

“As she was bleeding profusely, doctors at the private hospital had to remove the foetus and perform hysterectomy (removal of uterus) to save the life of the young woman. This meant that she would not be able to conceive. But the couple wanted to have their own baby,” said Dr Jeyarani Kamaraj, director of the Akash Fertility Centre, who performed the procedure.

The family first tried to find a surrogate but as the attempt failed, they approached the facility.

“When they approached our hospital in 2013, I suggested that one of her family members be a surrogate. They discussed it within the family and the woman’s mother came forward,” said Jeyarani. The doctor added that she suggested that a family member become the surrogate mother, since it would save the couple about `4 lakh.

Her agreeing to lend her womb was only part of the challenge, as the sexagenarian had attained menopause years ago. Doctors first started hormone therapy for her to get her menstrual cycle for four months. “Then, a healthy embryo fertilised through in vitro fertilisation procedure was implanted into the woman’s uterus,” she said.