70-year-old former soldier became father through IVF in Rajasthan's Alwar

It was a 'Badhai Ho' moment for an elderly couple in Rajasthan's Alwar after they received the news of their first child.

The couple, who are above 70 years of age, have been blessed with a child after 54 years of marriage. Thanks to the In vitro fertilization (IVF) technology and the doctor who conducted the IVF claims that this is a unique case in Rajasthan where a woman at the age of 70 has given birth to a child.

The father of the new born, Gopichand, a retired soldier of the Nuhaniya village of Jhunjhunu, was shot in the leg in the Bangladesh war because of which the couple could not have children of their own. "I just cannot express the happiness of the first child. It is a dream come true," said Gopichand. "I am the only child of my parents, and now my lineage can go on with this child," he said.

The same was the feeling of mother Chandravati, who was delighted to have a son.

IVF Expert Dr Pankaj Gupta said that there are only a few cases of children being born at this age across the country. This is probably the first case in Rajasthan where a 75-year-old male and 70-year-old female have got a child. Further, the child has been born healthy, said Gupta.