At 66, a woman welcomes her 10th child without IVF! Here's what she believe made this possible

Against all expectations, a 66-year-old woman in Germany has given birth to her 10th child—without any fertility treatments. Alexandra Hildebrandt, already a mother of nine, welcomed her newborn son, Philipp, via cesarean section last week. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and both mother and baby are healthy.
Despite the overwhelming odds against natural conception at her age, Hildebrandt told TODAY that she conceived without IVF or fertility drugs. “A big family is not only something wonderful, but above all, it is important for raising children properly,” she said. Her oldest child is 46, while her previous youngest was just 2 years old.
In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, she expressed her joy, saying, “I feel like I’m 35.” Professor Wolfgang Henrich, director of the Clinic for Obstetric Medicine, performed the delivery. He also acknowledged the uniqueness of her case. “Her age and number of C-sections is an absolute rarity in obstetric medicine and represented a challenge,” he told Bild.

However, he noted that Hildebrandt’s remarkable physical and mental strength played a key role in her smooth pregnancy. “Because of her particularly good physical constitution and mental strength, Ms. Hildebrandt managed the pregnancy well,” Henrich said. “The operation was completely uncomplicated.”
Hildebrandt credits her lifestyle for her ability to carry another child at 66. “I eat very healthily, swim regularly for an hour, run for two hours, don’t smoke or drink, and have never used contraception,” she told Bild.
Beyond her own experience, she hopes to inspire others to embrace larger families. “There is such a tendency to be unfriendly to children,” she said. “Many people would revise their judgment once they had contact with children. We should encourage people to have more children!”
What do the statistics say?

Fertility begins to decline significantly for women in their 30s, with chances of natural conception dropping dramatically with each passing decade. By the time menopause occurs—typically between 45 and 55—pregnancy without medical intervention is considered nearly impossible.
While Hildebrandt’s case is extraordinary, she’s not alone. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 1,230 births were recorded among women aged 50 and older in 2022, an increase from 1,041 in 2021. The number has generally risen since 1997 when only 144 births were reported in this age group.
As per a New York Post report, one woman, identified as “Em,” conceived naturally at 51 while going through menopause and gave birth to twins. In another case, a 67-year-old woman in China successfully delivered a healthy baby girl in 2019.
While medical experts remain stunned by these cases, for Hildebrandt, this is simply life as she knows it—raising a big, loving family, one unexpected miracle at a time.