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After 23 Years Of Battling Infertility, Failed IVF, I Conceived Twins Naturally – 49-year-old Woman

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3 years ago

March 6, 2022

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An overwhelming joy lit up her face the first time she saw her twin children – a boy and a girl. Carrying a pregnancy without any reproductive assistance during her run-up to the fifth decade is a big deal for her.

Mrs. Modupe Gabriel had no plan to have children late but things ended up that way for her as she had to battle infertility for 23 years.

While she peers intently at her ‘miracle babies’, her mind flashed back to the years she was fervently expectant and battling infertility.

She visited several hospitals in her quest to get a solution to her fertility problem and even had a failed In vitro fertilisation treatment.

She recalled how she had to put on a brave face while with family and friends. Mrs. Gabriel, however, says she never slipped into a panic because of her condition but rather remained hopeful.

As a school proprietress in Lagos, she kept on with her work and responsibilities as a wife. She made up her mind never to compromise her faith despite the challenges.

Fortunately, she was confirmed pregnant a few months after her 49th birthday.

“I had been advised by people to go diabolical to have a child, I spent a lot of money going to hospitals, I’ve had a failed IVF but I’ve kept on trusting only in God.

“I’ve always believed that anything God cannot give me, I don’t want. We waited patiently and it is indeed worth it, though it seems so tough and discouraging, however, with God by our side, it became a thing of the past,” the delighted mother said.

For Mrs. Gabriel, being older didn’t mean biting her nails with worry through the pregnancy despite the risks involved.

“I was told I had gotten to my menopausal stage but I was still menstruating. When I was confirmed pregnant, my doctor told me I needed to be on bed rest but I was strong and I was able to do my job in my school, I wasn’t idle or lazy, I was up and doing,” she said.

Her children arrived in the New Year – January 25, 2022.

Pregnancy after age 45 likely, but rare

Her late pregnancy is rare, but she is certainly not alone. While there is no national data on women with late pregnancy without reproductive assistance, findings show that few women in their late 50s have natural conception and deliver healthy babies.

Experts say pregnancy after age 45 years is considered a high risk for the mother and baby.

A Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Rotimi Akinola said it is out of the ordinary to have a baby in the late 40s or 50s but nothing is impossible.

“In medicine, you never say never. So, if somebody has late menopause, she still has eggs to shed, so it’s not impossible for that person to get pregnant, maybe accidentally.”

“The only thing is that the eggs that will be shed at 49 have a high risk of genetic abnormality,” Akinola said.

According to him, conceiving a child without IVF or other interventions presents an increased risk of certain chromosomal problems with age.

“For people from the age of 37, they begin to have that risk so I won’t be surprised if, at 49, you have a risk of about 1 in 60 that it might be genetically abnormal, chromosomal abnormal like Down syndrome.”

Prof. Akinola, however, noted that most times, women with late pregnancy are not honest with the method of pregnancy.

“When you are hearing that 60 years old give birth, they often do with assistance and often, that assistance is with donated eggs.

“Plenty of women in their 40s have children but have a high risk of genetic abnormality. As long as you’re not menopausal, it’s possible that they still have a few eggs and those eggs can still yield children but from 59, most women in that age group will be menopausal and menopause simply means no more eggs. If such a person menstruates, it will send panic to the doctors because the person might be dealing with tumors.

“When the eggs are no longer there, the only way that person can conceive is through assisted reproduction with the help of donated eggs.”

Risk for complications increases

The gynaecologist said it will be challenging for such a woman to maintain her health because of the chance of becoming hypertensive or diabetic.

He noted that the older an egg, the more likely it is to have chromosomal issues, which can increase the child’s risk for birth defects.

PUNCH

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Former NBA Player Ben McLemore Convicted Of Raping Incapacitated Woman

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4 hours ago

July 4, 2025

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An Oregon jury found former Houston Rockets guard Ben McLemore guilty on Thursday of raping a woman in while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021.

Deliberations lasting around 10 hours after an 11-day trial concluded with the jury in Clackamas County finding McLemore, 32, guilty on one charge of first-degree rape, one charge of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and one count of second-degree sexual abuse. He was found not guilty on an additional count of second-degree sexual abuse.

McLemore pleaded not guilty to all four counts before the verdict. His sentencing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 9.

The charges stem from a report of sexual assault in Lake Oswego, Oregon, on Oct. 3, 2021. McLemore was identified as a suspect during a police investigation.

A Clackamas County grand jury heard evidence in the case in February 2024, which included testimony from the woman who said McLemore assaulted her. He was indicted and an arrest warrant was issued, according to Lake Oswego police. McLemore was arrested by U.S. Marshalls two months later.

Clackamas County prosecutor Scott Healy reportedly told jurors the victim found herself being sexually assaulted by McLemore while partially conscious the morning after a party.

Healy said that the victim had been drinking heavily at the party and had passed out on a living room couch at the party around 2 a.m.

McLemore’s attorneys reportedly disputed the victim’s account, claiming she had initiated sexual contact with McLemore and had consented to it. They also claimed that despite the victim and McLemore both being intoxicated, the victim was sober enough to consent.

McLemore played parts of two seasons with the Rockets from 2019-2021. He was the seventh pick in the 2013 draft out of Kansas and played for five teams across nine NBA seasons. After playing the 2021-2022 season with the Trail Blazers, McLemore went overseas to continue his playing career. He has played for teams in China, Greece, Spain and Turkey over the last three years.

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Russia Launches Largest Assault On Ukraine

Published

4 hours ago

July 4, 2025

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The Kremlin said on Friday that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after launching its largest ever drone and missile barrage of the invasion.

The hours-long bombardments across Ukraine came just after a telephone call between the US and Russian presidents ended without any breakthrough.

AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence systems fended off the attack.

“We are interested in achieving our goals in the course of the special military operation and it is preferable to do it by political and diplomatic means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, referring to its invasion, launched in February 2022.

“But as long as that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation,” he said in a briefing, including with AFP.

US President Donald Trump had said he made no progress in discussions one day earlier with President Vladimir Putin on ending the war, while the Kremlin vowed to pursue its war aims.

A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky were planning to speak later on Friday.

Tymur, a Kyiv resident who said he had experienced previous Russian attacks, told AFP that the assault in the early hours of Friday was different.

“Nothing like this attack had ever happened before. There have never been so many explosions,” he said.

– ‘War and terror’ –
Zelensky said air alerts had begun echoing out across the country as the Trump-Putin call was getting underway.

“Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,” Zelensky said on social media.

“All of this is clear evidence that without truly large-scale pressure, Russia will not change its dumb, destructive behaviour.”

He urged the United States in particular to increase pressure on Moscow, which on Friday announced fresh territorial gains on the front line with the capture of a village in the Donetsk region.

Poland said its embassy building in Kyiv had been damaged in the attack but that staff were unharmed.

Germany’s foreign ministry meanwhile said that the timing of the attack — just after the leaders’ call — showed that Moscow “continues to rely on brute force”.

“Ukraine needs more to defend itself, not less,” the ministry said on social media.

A government spokesman said Germany was exploring the possibility of purchasing more Patriot air defence systems from the United States for Ukraine.

Zelensky said 23 people were wounded in the barrage, which the air force said comprised 539 drones and 11 missiles.

A representative of Ukraine’s air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion, launched in February 2022.

– ‘Complete disregard’ –

Overnight Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks.

An AFP tally found Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June when direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall.

In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station.

Yuliia Golovnina, who said she shelters at the metro regularly, described to AFP the worry that comes with hearing an explosion during an attack.

“Will there be another one? Will something collapse on you?” the 47-year-old said.

“So in those seconds, you just hold your breath and wait to see what happens next,” she added.

In Kyiv, concerns mount over whether the US will continue delivering military aid, which is key to Ukraine’s ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages.

The US announced this week it was reducing some of its aid deliveries.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this was a clear signal that the 27-nation European Union needed to “step up”.

Ukraine has also ramped up its retaliatory strikes in Russia, where a woman was killed when a Ukrainian drone crashed into an apartment building, the acting regional governor in Rostov said.

Talks, spearheaded by the United States to secure a ceasefire, have stalled but Ukraine and Russia announced a fresh swap of prisoners of war with Ukraine.

The two sides said it was part of agreements reached during talks in Istanbul last month.

AFP

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We’re Ready To Start Gaza Ceasefire Talks ‘Immediately’ – Hamas

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4 hours ago

July 4, 2025

Editor

Hamas said Friday it was ready to start talks “immediately” on a proposal for a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, after holding consultations with other Palestinian factions.

“The movement is ready to engage immediately and seriously in a cycle of negotiations on the mechanism to put in place” the terms of a draft truce proposal received from mediators, the militant group said in a statement.