Amidst a world where people often obsess over fertility talks in terms of technology and support, one 66-year-old German woman is grabbing the headlines for something else: She became pregnant and gave birth to her tenth child naturally.
A 7-pound, 13-ounce healthy baby boy named Philipp was born by cesarean section at Charité Hospital on March 19 to Alexandra Hildebrandt, a prominent museum director in Berlin. Not only is the mother’s age remarkable, but she also became pregnant naturally without IVF or fertility drugs.
“A big family is not only something wonderful, but first and foremost it is necessary to bring up the children well,” Hildebrandt emphasized in an email that was sent to TODAY.com. With Philipp finally in her arms, her kids span the age gap from 2 to 46, or over 40 years.
She insists that nature was acting and that it was not a medical miracle. She said in an interview with the German tabloid Bild, “I walk for two hours a day, swim for one hour, and eat extremely healthily.” She further said that she never used contraception, smoked, or drank.
Hildebrandt says she heard nothing but positive things about the pregnancy from her family and friends, even though the medical community was suspicious. Her OB/GYN, Dr. Wolfgang Henrich, contributed to the amazement by calling the pregnancy “largely uncomplicated.
They advise against it, however. As New York-based fertility expert Dr. Brian Levine put it, a woman who is 66 has “incredibly low” chances of giving birth on her own due to largely biological factors. “The risks are elevated,” he said, including chromosomal abnormalities, preterm labor, gestational diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Levine, who has not yet treated Hildebrandt, speculated that a hormonal disorder like PCOS might explain her continued fertility if she hasn’t yet entered menopause.
Similar comparisons to other rare births are also promoted by this case, including the 2023 IVF-conceived twin births of Uganda’s Safina Namukwaya, who was 70 years old.
Hildebrandt’s story is a remarkable and deeply personal reminder that even the most seasoned of us at any age can be caught off guard by motherhood, as much as science might still raise an eyebrow.
And as young Philipp becomes part of his large family, the story of this remarkable woman is about more than just aging; it’s about opportunity, grit, and the beautiful, unpredictable nature of life.
