Cecile Eledge was a surrogate mother for her son and his spouse. The granddaughter, born on March 25, is in good health.
A 61-year-old woman was the surrogate mother of her son and son-in-law. Cecile Eledge gave birth to Uma Louise, Monday March 25, in the United States, daughter of her son, Matthew Eledge, and Elliot Dougherty, the husband of the latter.
Two years of preparation
According to British media The Independent, the sexagenarian offered herself to be the surrogate mother of the couple when they told her of their desire for a child. “There was no hesitation,” she said. But the two men had certain doubts: will a postmenopausal woman really be able to carry their child? They raised the issue with the various endocrinologists they met for their child project.
The American site buzzfeed explains that their doctor, Carolyn Maud Doherty, deemed the idea not so far-fetched. Two years were needed to carry out all the compulsory examinations and obtain the final approval of the doctors. In vitro fertilization was then performed with sperm from son, Matthew, and egg from Elliot’s sister.
$40,000
Surrogacy, still prohibited in France, is not fully supported in the United States. Matthew and Elliot had no insurance for themselves and paid $40,000, or more than 35,000 euros. “It’s literally the cheapest it can be,” says Matthew. In fact, IVF worked on the first try, even though each one costs $12,000.
The risks of pregnancy beyond 45
The pregnancy and delivery went well, despite the age of the surrogate mother: at 61, she had been postmenopausal for ten years. “It’s important for people to know that not every 60-year-old woman is healthy enough to be a surrogate mother, tempers Dr. Doherty. There are probably a handful of people who are capable of it in the United States”.
In The Parisian, Bernard Hédon, obstetrician-gynecologist and outgoing president of the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF), explains that beyond the age of 45, childbirth presents many risks: “first for the woman giving birth, explains- he. The cardiovascular system is very stressed during pregnancy”. During this period, blood volume and heart rate increase, which can affect the health of both the mother and the child.
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