60-year-old Japanese woman pregnant

Tokyo (ANTARA News) - A 60-year-old single Japanese woman has become pregnant after travelling to the United States for a donated fertilised egg, a doctor said.

The woman plans to give birth under the supervision of doctor Yahiro Netsu, a high-profile obstetrician who has handled controversial pregnancies involving surrogate mothers.

"She is 60 years old and single. I hesitated in my mind about whether this pregnancy should continue when I thought about the risk and the future of the child," he was quoted by AFP as telling reporters.

It would be the first case of a single woman giving birth to a child from a donated embryo in Japan, according to Kyodo News. Fertility treatment in Japan is provided almost exclusively to married couples.

The woman, whose name has been withheld, is reportedly in her 15th week of pregnancy and has no complications.

A 67-year-old Spanish woman gave birth to twins in December 2006, becoming the oldest known mother. (*) END