Impossible, strange, dreadful, unimaginable, mind-bogging, abnormal and disturbing. These are just few synonyms anybody reading this article might exclaim when I say that the youngest confirmed mother in medical history is Lina Medina, and she was only 5-years old when she gave birth.
Lina Medina was born on September 27th, 1933 in Ticarpo; a remote village in Peru. At age 5, her parents thought she had a huge abdominal tumor that was caused by an evil spirit. She was taken to the village Shaman (Native doctor or Witch doctor) whom after numerous attempts could not find any cure. Her parents finally carried her to a hospital where upon examining her, Dr. Geraldo Lozada found out that she was approximately 8 months pregnant.
Ironically, just over a month after her diagnosis, on Mothers’ Day – May 14, 1939, Linda gave birth via caesarian section to a baby boy in Lima clinic of Lozada.
Lina was able to become pregnant at such a young age due to a rare condition known as Precocious Puberty; an early onset of sexual development. Most girls begin showing signs of puberty around 10 years old. The majority of boys tend to go through puberty starting around the age of 11 – 12. Children with precocious puberty tend to begin puberty at the age of 7.
Shockingly according to her mother, Lina on the other hand, began having menstrual cycles at age 21/2 and her breast where fully developed by age 4. When the doctors examined her at age 5, she was found to already have fully matured sexual organs.
Lina Medina’s son, Gerardo, was named after Lina’s Doctor and grew up believing that his mother was his sister. It wasn’t until the age of 10 that he found out who his mother was really. He grew up healthy and died in 1979 at age 40 from a bone marrow disease, which doctors say had nothing to do with the nature of his birth.
Lina’s father was arrested on suspicion of child sexual abuse, but was later released due to lack of evidence. Lina on the other hand never revealed the father of child nor the circumstances of her impregnation. Dr. Edmundo Escomel, who reported Lina’s case in the medical journal La Presse Medicale, suggested that Lina might not actually know who the father was, “couldn’t give precise responses” this he wrote. She later grew up and worked as a secretary in the Lima Clinic of Lozado, who gave her an education and helped put her son a secondary education.
Lina later married Raul Jurado, who fathered her second son in 1972. As at 2002, she and her husband still lived in Lima. Over the years, numerous tabloids had requested an interview with her, but she had turned them all down.
Lina Madina still holds the record for youngest human being to give birth to another, which is 5years, 7month and 17 days. This generally means she was probably impregnated a month or two before her 5th birthday.
HF magazine
Posted by Jamal
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