A woman has fulfilled her dream of becoming a mother by giving birth to her first child at the age of 61.
Nursing assistant Ana Maria Pontelo Moreira has given birth to a son in southern Brazil five years after starting IVF treatment.
The mother told reporters she had been on the waiting list to adopt a child when she separated from her husband.
She decided to undergo IVF treatment alone.
She said: “In 2014 I started the fertilisation treatment because I didn’t have a partner.
"The gestation was calm, I only had a problem with my spine but I did treatment with an orthopedist, pilates and physiotherapy. After that everything was calm.”
Ms Moreira chose both the egg and sperm from banks which had genetic makeups compatible with her own.
She added: “At 40 years old it isn’t possible to use your ovaries anymore, so I asked for a younger person, compatible with my blood type.
"For the fertilisation to go well several exams were carried out.”
The baby, named Ian, weighed 3.4 kilogrammes - about 7½lbs - and was born via C-section at Hospital do Coracao Bella Suica in the city of Londrina.
Ms Moreira added: “I hope my story is an inspiration for other people, it’s very rewarding. I know that there are older women who want to be mothers but they are scared. I fulfilled my dream.
“The treatment wasn’t easy because I had to take hormones, it costs quite a lot and there were also lots of people who didn’t believe in it, I’m very happy.”
