Woman, 50, Ends 30-year Wait With 5 Babies After IVF Treatment

In vitro fertilization, also called IVF, is a complex series of procedures that can lead to a pregnancy. It's a treatment for infertility.

A 30-year longing to nurse a product of own womb ended in a high-five for a woman in Mbarara after In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment.

Ephrance Kobusingye, 50, and her husband Eclesensiyo Tunanukye, 62, from Kitagwenda District, welcomed three boys and two girls after a successful IVF procedure at Mbarara Neocare Specialized Hospital and Fertility Centre.

The couple, hailing from Nyaruhanda village in Kitagwenda, had endured 32 years of marriage without children, facing societal pressure and challenges.

However, their faith in God and medical intervention saw their long wait come to a joyous end.

Tunanukye, who met his wife Kobusingye in 1992, said they had spent almost all their resources in pursuit of a child.

They visited numerous hospitals and churches across Fort Portal, Kampala, and Jinja, but it was not until they were referred to the Mbarara Neocare Fertility Centre that they finally received good news.

“We have spent a lot of money that I cannot even estimate. We went to many hospitals and churches, but nothing worked,” Tunanukye said.

“We sold almost everything we had, hoping for a baby, and eventually, we were referred to Mbarara at Neocare Fertility Centre.”

Kobusingye, a housewife, and her husband, a retired primary school teacher, had nearly given up hope.

However, after starting the IVF process, Kobusingye learned that she was pregnant at the age of 50.

Three months later, they received even more surprising news—the couple was expecting quintuplets.

“After our visit to the hospital, we returned to Kitagwenda. Two weeks later, during a checkup, we were told my wife was pregnant. We were overjoyed,” Tunanukye recalled.

“Three months later, we learned that we were expecting five babies. I was ecstatic because I had longed for a child, and now we would have five!”

The quintuplets were born prematurely at seven months and three weeks and are currently being incubated at Holy Innocents Children’s Hospital in Mbarara.

The couple has already had the babies baptized.

“As Catholics, it was important to have our children baptized so that they live in Christ,” Tunanukye said.

Kobusingye, who was in good health at Neocare Hospital, expressed her immense gratitude and happiness at finally becoming a mother.

"We struggled for so long to have a child, and now we are blessed with five. We will do our best to care for them, but at our age, we hope to receive some assistance as we no longer have the energy required,” she said.

Dr Sezariyo Masembe, a specialist obstetrician and gynecologist at Neocare Fertility Centre, and Dr Hillary Ahiisibwe, a fertility specialist, said the couple’s case was the first time they had delivered quintuplets through IVF.

“We have previously delivered twins and single babies, but this is the first case where a couple has had five babies through IVF,” Dr Masembe said.

Dr Ahiisibwe added that the mother is recovering well and could be discharged in three days.

“We have been closely monitoring her condition over the last three months, and she stayed with us for three weeks before delivering her five babies via C-Section on Monday,” he said.