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Health Encyclopedia
James Dadzie
Do not loose hope
Scientifically, ageing brings many things to a living organism. Most of these unfortunately are not complimentary. And mostly affected in this phenomenon is man.
The effects of ageing range from the peripheral to the fundamental. Change in skin texture, wrinkles, drop in libido, infertility and death. But one of the most pronounced and feared especially among many a woman is menopause. It signifies an end to her “womanness”.
Ironically, it is the same man who made the submissions on the debilitating effect of age on his species who also defies his theories. This has also been in existence from ages.
Notably among those who have defied the age phenomenon are two historical and religious figures: Sarah and Elizabeth. Both women had children in their advanced years.
At 52 years, a woman will be considered to be past her prime. According to medical science, she is deemed to have entered the period of menopause which makes conception impossible, let alone deliver a baby or babies.
After almost three decades of marriage, spent in the harrowing embrace of barrenness, and with three husbands, 52-year-old Alhaja Owolabi Kareem against all odds and human expectations not only got pregnant, but also gave birth to a bouncing baby girl.
For the couple, Alhaji and Alhaja Owolabi Kareem of Ajah in the Eti Osa Local Government Area Lagos State, November 26, 2010 will forever be remembered as a day of celebration of miracles. It was the day on which the 52-year-old Alhaja Owolabi Kareem put to bed a bouncing baby girl. It was the first in her life.
Like most women of her age, Alhaja Ajah as she is fondly called by her fellow members at the Saints Gospel Church of Christ Hand of Fire, Ago along Igando-Ikotun Road, Lagos had entered menopause. Some derisively call it meno-stop!
After being married for about 30 years and with no fruit to show for her conjugal labour, she had lost all hopes of ever having a baby but for her new found faith.
Five years earlier, the 52 year old business woman had been introduced to a new faith by a friend who had watched as she struggled desperately and in despair but in vain for a child.
Prior to this, it had been one long struggle filled with anguish, fears, tears, humiliation and even desperation.
According to Alhaja, she had visited all known hospitals and medical practitioners both orthodox and unconventional, local and foreign all to no avail.
It was after she had reached menopause and lost hope that she decided to heed her friend's advice of seeking further spiritual help at a particular worship centre where she worships currently.
Like all desperate people who perceived a silver lining in a thick and gloomy cloud, she embraced her new found faith, totally giving it her all. She even gave the church a large piece of choice land somewhere in Ikorodu, Lagos State all in her attempt to curry God's favour.
“ I went to the church for spiritual healing. I was sick because of barrenness; my people didn't know where I had gone because nobody bothered to look for me. They didn't care what happened to me. When I saw what was going on in the church I was inspired; it gave me hope that there would be a solution to my problem.
“Besides, Baba Ago (the alias for Pastor Shodeinde General Overseer of the church) assured me that there was hope. So I went to Baba one day and told him that I had a land at Ikorodu and that I had given it to the church. Later I went to Ajah and told my people that I had given my land at Ikorodu to the church; my people did not believe me .' You who love money like this, you would give this big land to the church?' they queried.
“Baba Ago initially refused the offer but the other pastors prevailed on him, saying since she was giving it to the church willingly, there was nothing wrong with it. My brother told me that it was a good thing I had done but that the church should pray hard that I conceive a baby.”
As if to boost her faith and tell her that something good was destined to happen, Madam Ajah conceived. It was joy unbound. After these years, she was ecstatic. Alas, it was not to last!
“Immediately after that, I felt an object moving in my womb. When I went back to the church I told the G.O. and he prayed over it. He told me that it would be in old age that I would born a baby. It was like a dream but in reality, it was pregnancy.
“However, four months later I had a miscarriage. Baba told me not to worry. He told me that his God would come back and meet me and I would conceive. I quickly drew his attention that I was already 50 years old. After Baba had encouraged me, I started having menstrual flow. When I told Baba about it, he said what happened to Sarah would happen to me. Little did I know that it was already a solid pregnancy that I was carrying. The news spread through Ajah and its environs. When I went to a friend and I told her that I was pregnant, she did not believe it. She said that I was just teasing her''.
With this development confirmed, Alhaja Owolabi swung into action. She did not want a repeat of her experience at miscarriage. Promptly, she got enrolled at the General Hospital at Isolo, Lagos for ante-natal clinic. There again she received another shock and also a test to her faith.
Experts gave her a damning verdict: For somebody her age, a caesarean section was inevitable. This is one condition most Nigerian women pray against. Already in her mind, she had been sentenced to hell.
The nursing mother, who is now known as Iya Mary, continued her story:
“I registered with the General Hospital at Isolo where the doctor told me that I would deliver through caesarean operation. The doctor said I would need several pints of blood, water (drips) and other things.”
Her friend, Iya Sheri took up the narration: “But on the day of delivery, she did not even need to go to the General Hospital. An uncle who was available at the material time took her to his private hospital at Ilupeju where they did not take blood, they did not even ask for water.
Everything came easily.”
Alhaja Sheri, is a close friend of Alhaja Ajah, who hails from Ilorin, Kwara State. She stayed with the new mother most time of during the period of the pregnancy.
She described the period as full of traumatic experiences for the duo.
Her words: ''During the pregnancy, the doctor said that she would deliver through caesarean operation; so they took blood and water from us because they said that it was not going to be easy for her to deliver. But on the day of delivery,we did not even use the General Hospital, they did not take blood and they did not ask for water. The baby is bouncing and the mother is hale and hearty. When the doctor said Alhaja would have to be operated upon, I told Alhaja that that was the doctor's decision; it was not God's. And our G.O. assured us that it was going to be easy for her to put to bed.
''Before the pregnancy people used to mock Alhaja. They would say:'This woman has not stopped looking for a baby'. But I would always try to console her. I would advise her not to mind them as they knew not what they were saying.
“The whole family and we who are here thank God we are not put to shame and we thank God for the love of our father and General Overseer Pastor Shodehinde, his pastors and all the members of the church through whose fervent prayers,this feat has been achieved''.
Hence, it was all fun and celebration at the colourful outdoor naming ceremony held at the church compound last month. The 52 year-old woman described the whole thing as the special grace of God.
The baby was christened Mary Ireti Oluwa among 15 other names.
Expert’s View
It’s almost impossible — Physician
The Medical Director of Shomolu General Hospital, Dr Oluwatoyin Adelaja, in an interview with JAMES DADZIE acknowledges the saying that doctors care, but God heals, adding that it is not absolutely impossible for a menopausal woman to conceive and deliver naturally.
What is your opinion about a 52-year old woman who had reached menopause but conceived naturally and delivered safely on November 26, 2010 without going through caesarean operation?
I thank God for her. You know as I said, science is such that you want to avoid complications. We are not saying it is completely impossible for a woman to conceive and deliver at that age. But at that age we know that it could be a’ precious one’; we don’t want to take chances: and there are possibilities of complications after delivery. So, in order to avert all that,we prefer modern technology and all that is available with the skill of the doctor. For her to have put to bed safely and without complications. I am not saying that it is completely impossible, I’m not saying so, I am just happy for her.
Would you agree with her claim that it was through the prayers offered by her church that she conceived and delivered safely without complications?
That is faith. With God all things are possible; we all know that. Science is one, religion is another. I’m just happy for her.
Do you (doctors) take into consideration the power of God doing one miracle or another?
Why not? Yes. As I mentioned, science is one and religion is another. The only thing we should know is that we shouldn’t really get through with God and condemn the aspect of science. That is where the mistake comes from because by the time you combine everything, everything goes on smoothly. In fact, in most cases, before we conduct any operation we go to God first. And that is why there is the saying that ‘’God heals and Doctors treat’’.
At what age is a woman said to have gone into menopause?
When the blood stops coming, when she stops menstruating;there is a range,between the ages of 40 and 52; provided the blood is still coming there is every possibility of her becoming pregnant. But once the blood stops coming, that is what we call menopause.
Is it possible for a woman in menopause to get pregnant?
If it is already confirmed that she is in menopause that is very impossible. She can hardly get pregnant naturally; she cannot get pregnant naturally. But through modern technology, she can get pregnant that is what we call IVF- In-Vitro Fertilisation whereby the eggs are obtained and mixed with the semen of the partner and the eggs are transferred into the woman’s womb.
Is it true that some women can still menstruate at the age of 57 and even 60 and as such can take in so long as they are still menstruating?
At the age of 60 really? In fact, by the time a woman starts bleeding at the age of 60 you have to start being very,very cautious about her; you have to be suspicious of so many other things like cancer of the womb. Ideally, from the age of 40 at least once every year there is this test-a kind of routine check-up to rule out cancer in a woman and that is advisable for that test to be done at least a minimum of once in a year.
At the age of 52 is it possible for a woman who is pregnant to deliver safely through natural process?
In medical practice we have the policy of ‘’prevention is better than cure’’. So in most cases we try to avoid complications. At that age, the possibilities of complications are there, and for a woman to get pregnant at that age, you know that that is a ‘’precious gift’’. So routinely we would have preferred her to deliver safely through caesarean operation instead of allowing her to go through the rigours of labour and the attendant complications. In the first place it is difficult for such a woman at that age who has gone into menopause to get pregnant naturally, except by I.V.F. Even with I.V.F you still have to support the woman with some hormones in order to enable her to carry the pregnancy because once you talk of menopause the normal functions of the ovaries in the woman- the hormones that are supposed to be released to assist in the development of that pregnancy are already imbalanced. So, you now have to give some supportive treatment to support her. That is why I said naturally it is almost impossible for her to get pregnant because those hormones are no longer there.
It’s not impossible — Expert
The Nigerian Compass on Saturday spoke with some Senior officials at the Department of Gynaecology, Isolo General Hospital, Lagos where Alhaja Kareem had her ante-natal clinic.
According to the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr H.I. Ogunlana, “a woman can continue to menstruate for as long as the age of 57 or even 60.
“This means that such a woman can take in any day, so long as she continues to menstruate. Similarly, a woman could be under menopause at 52 and above and she can conceive a baby naturally’’.
Ogunlana continued: “Some women can menstruate for a long time, the problem with such pregnancies at the age of 50 and above is that the woman would have to go through caesarean operation or retro-viral means in order to get the baby delivered’’.
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