62-year-old woman sparks controversy due to IVF pregnancy
A 62-year-old woman in Songyuan, Jilin Province, China, recently stirred controversy after getting pregnant via in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) despite her advanced age.
Her pregnancy became viral after her younger sister, who goes by the name Xiao Wei, began posting regular updates about it on Douyin.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the woman had tragically lost her only son in Jan 2025, though the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
The woman, whose name was not disclosed, is currently six months into her pregnancy.
Woman believes baby is late son’s reincarnation
According to SCMP, the woman conceived via IVF in the middle of 2025.
Her sister posts about her prenatal check-ups and counts down to her due date on social media.
Source: Douyin
In one video, the woman reportedly shared that the baby became particularly active whenever she ate sweet food.
“Many people told me that since I like eating sweet food these days, the baby I am carrying should be a boy,” she revealed. “So it is the return of my son.”
In China, doctors cannot tell expectant parents the gender of their unborn babies due to the traditional preference for male children, SCMP reported.
Due to her age, the woman undergoes more prenatal examinations than younger women and has to travel about two hours to major hospitals in Changchun, the capital of Jilin, for critical check-ups.
Doctors advise against getting pregnant in old age
Speaking to local media, Chen Min, a senior obstetrics doctor at Harbin No. 1 Hospital, said medical professionals do not advocate geriatric pregnancies due to “extremely high risks”.
“The possibility of complications during pregnancy increases multiple times compared to that of younger pregnant women,” she said.
Source: Douyin
Additionally, older women can only deliver via caesarean section, but the surgery would also pose higher risks, she added.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, pregnancies after the age of 35 can result in a higher chance of genetic conditions such as Down Syndrome in babies, pre-term birth, or worse, stillbirth.
Woman’s late age pregnancy draws criticism
Many netizens have also criticised the woman for her decision to get pregnant in old age.
One netizen reportedly questioned whether the woman even has the energy to care for the child and expressed concern that the child would be orphaned at a young age.
Meanwhile, others expressed support for the second-time mother, saying she needs a motivation to live on after her son’s death.
Xiao Wei also defended her sister, saying, “No one understands my sister’s insistence. No one understands the pain from losing her only child.”
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Featured image adapted from Douyin.
