By Allison Garnett

A 61-year-old woman recently gave birth by caesarean section to her own grandson at Northwestern Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.  Kristine Casey may be the oldest woman to give birth in Illinois.

Ten years after menopause, Casey acted as a surrogate to help her infertile daughter, Sara Connell and her husband, have a biological child of their own.  Conceived through in-vitro fertilization, a healthy Finnean Lee Connell was born of Feb. 9.

Sara Connell, 35, cannot ovulate and has had several failed pregnancies. After undergoing infertility treatment at the Reproductive Medicine Institute in Evanston, Illinois, she gave birth to stillborn twins.

Childbirth remains rare in post-menopausal women.  Health officials say older women face greater risks during pregnancy and delivery.  For this reason, they suggest many women would not be good candidates to undergo such a procedure.

Would you risk your mother’s life to have a child of your own?