Can you believe this story? Girl becomes a mother at age 5

[cajungal]

Lina Medina

Lina Medina, her son Gerardo, and Dr. Gerardo LozadaLina Medina (born September 27, 1933 in Paurange, Peru) gave birth at the age of 5 years, 7 months and 21 days and is the youngest confirmed mother in medical history. This world record is closely followed by a similar case in Russia.

Lina was brought to a hospital by her parents at the age of 5 years because of increasing abdominal size. She was originally thought to have had a tumor, but her doctors determined she was in the seventh month of pregnancy. Dr. Gerardo Lozada took her to Lima, the capital of Peru, prior to the surgery to have other specialists confirm that Lina was in fact pregnant. A month and a half later, on May 14, 1939, she gave birth to a boy by a caesarean section necessitated by her small pelvis. The surgery was performed by Drs. Lozada and Dr. Busalleu, with Dr. Colretta providing anaesthesia. Her case was reported in detail by Dr. Edmundo Escomel to La Presse Medicale, along with the additional details that her menarche had occurred at 8 months of age, and prominent breast development by 4 years. By age 5 her figure displayed pelvic widening and advanced bone maturation.

Her son weighed 2.7 kg (5.9 lb) at birth and was named Gerardo after her doctor. Gerardo was raised believing that Lina was his sister, but found out that she was his mother at the age of ten. He grew up healthy but died in 1979 at the age of 40 of a disease of the bone marrow.

There was never evidence that Lina Medina's pregnancy occurred in any but the usual way, but she never revealed the father of the child, nor the circumstances of her impregnation. She refused an interview with Reuters in 2002. Medina later married Raúl Jurado, who fathered her second son in 1972. They live in a poor district of Lima known as Chicago Chico ("Little Chicago").

There are two published photographs documenting the case. The first one, of poor photographic quality, was taken around the beginning of April, 1939, when Medina was seven and a half months into pregnancy. Taken from Medina's left side, it shows her standing naked in front of an inconclusive backdrop (either the side wall of a house with the sun shining on her, or a light-diffusing blanket in a room with an overhead light pointed toward the front of her body). This is the only published photograph of Lina taken during her pregnancy. This photograph is of significant value because it proves Medina's pregnancy as well as the extent of her physiological development. However, this photograph is not widely known outside medical circles. The other photograph is of far greater clarity and was taken a year later in Lima when Gerardo was eleven months old.

Although the case was called a hoax by some, a number of doctors over the years have verified it based on biopsies, X rays of the fetal skeleton in utero, and photographs taken by the doctors caring for her. Extreme degrees of precocious puberty in children under 5 are very uncommon but not unheard of. Pregnancy and delivery by a child this young remains extremely rare because extremely precocious puberty is treated to suppress fertility, preserve growth potential, and reduce the social consequences of full sexual development in childhood, and because termination of such pregnancy is more widely available now than in the early 20th century.


EDIT: Removed extra Wikipedia "stuff" -- senorpepr

[Extremeweatherguy]

that would be extremely strange being just 5 years older than your child!

[pojo]

that is interesting.

[Cyclenall]

Yeah, that is one of the most amazing things I have ever read on the Internet to date. I found that a year ago with pictures and all. It's very hard to beileve that really happened! The baby that was born was like a little brother I read and the boy didn't find out the girl was his mother until he was a bit older.

[Regit]

There was a girl who gave birth in a town near me at age 10. In that case, it was the result of consensual sex (as the father was near her age).

Have also heard of a mother in the US at age nine.

Five sure takes the cake, though.

[Brent]

There was a girl who gave birth in a town near me at age 10. In that case, it was the result of consensual sex (as the father was near her age).

Have also heard of a mother in the US at age nine.

Five sure takes the cake, though.

Geez... I didn't really think that was possible.

[Cookiely]

I was with a nine year old when she was in labor, but five is very wierd.

[HurricaneGirl]

[GalvestonDuck]

There was a girl who gave birth in a town near me at age 10. In that case, it was the result of consensual sex (as the father was near her age).

Have also heard of a mother in the US at age nine.

Five sure takes the cake, though.

Consensual? At age 10?

[TexasStooge]

OK, now it's a little freaky!

[cajungal]

I think anyone who has sex with a 5 year old child, it is rape, no matter what. And consentual sex at age 10? Gee, at the age I was still playing with barbie dolls and did not even really know what sex even was.

[Regit]

There was a girl who gave birth in a town near me at age 10. In that case, it was the result of consensual sex (as the father was near her age).

Have also heard of a mother in the US at age nine.

Five sure takes the cake, though.

Consensual? At age 10?

Well I didn't know the details of the law until this case happened, but in South Carolina, the age of consent is 16, UNLESS the other person is within 5 years of age (but not over 18).

It's to prevent 15 year old boys who have sex with their 14 year old girlfriends from being labeled sex offenders for the rest of their lives.

As with this case, it was just the case of two kids who learned about sex from a friend and didn't know better than to not try it. Neither childs' parent had had "the talk."

[Derek Ortt]

It's to prevent 15 year old boys who have sex with their 14 year old girlfriends from being labeled sex offenders for the rest of their lives.

14 and 15 year olds should NOT be having sex in the first place. And we wonder why we have problems with society... of course we will when our government condones kids having sex

[Regit]

It's to prevent 15 year old boys who have sex with their 14 year old girlfriends from being labeled sex offenders for the rest of their lives.

14 and 15 year olds should NOT be having sex in the first place. And we wonder why we have problems with society... of course we will when our government condones kids having sex

Call me libertarian if you like, but I think the government has no business being involved in something the parents should handle.

Plus, it would inevitably end up being handled by social services departments and I think they should be invovled in as little as possible.

[cajungal]

Well, when I was in the 7th grade, they had a girl the exact same age as me which was 12, pregnant. By the time I got to the 9th grade and was 14, the same girl was there pregnant again! You think she would of learned her lesson the first time.

[Gorky]

Yes, but 14 and 15 year olds are kids and are often fully developed physically for sexual activity by that age and as much as you want to think that children cannot be sexual that is not the case. If children arn't educated about sex properly by their parents, they should not be blamed if something happens. Your comment about the government condoning this is strange. Do you expect them to apply the same law as with adults to them also? This seems like you think labelling 15 year olds sex offenders / pedofiles for life because they happened to be engaging in a sexual action with someone who just happens to be younger and as such a 'victim'.

Under these rules an old friend from when I was younger would technically be a child molester and I'd be a victim of a child abuse all based on the fact that she was a few months older than me when it happened and I certainly don't feel like a victim. Heck it was one of the best and most ldefining moments in my life

[gtalum]

14 and 15 year olds should NOT be having sex in the first place.

Just to play devil's advocate: why not?

Assuming that I were to agree that 14 and 15 year olds shouldn't be having sex, what makes you think the government has any authority to control it? It's an education issue, not a legislative one, IMHO.

[brunota2003]

Remember, in the 1700's people were getting married at 11 or 12, heck, there were 11 year olds and 40 year olds getting married...so the body is ready at 14 or 15...however, most people are not mature enough to handle such a relationship...

[Regit]

Remember, in the 1700's people were getting married at 11 or 12, heck, there were 11 year olds and 40 year olds getting married...so the body is ready at 14 or 15...however, most people are not mature enough to handle such a relationship...

This continued well into the 1900's as well. You should read Erskine Caldwell's Tobacco Road.

But that's one of the biggest problems in trying to prevent sex. You're making human beings go against nature. For all of human history, people got going on having babies as soon as possible.

In a society without 18 years of schooling, why would you wait? Remember, God impregnated a 12-year-old (Mary). But in her society, she was an adult. In First-century BC Israel, women were married off on their 13th birthdays.

So if people think that you should wait until the age of consent, that's perfectly fine. You just have to realize that the restriction is societal, not natural. Things go much better when you approach it from the right direction.

[Derek Ortt]

one difference is that we are able to reason. We know what the consequences are of our actions (well... we should, but that's for another argument)

14 and 15 year olds should be finishing their education and be worried about where they are going to college, or who they are going to go to the high school dance with. Not worrying about sex.

For the record, not everyone has an urge to have sex, so I do not believe that that is natural. And I am speaking from the way I feel. I'd rather put 20 on the Buffalo Sabres and the over line... it provides enough of a thrill without long term consequences