Lina Medina, the Youngest Mother in the world, was a Peruvian girl born on September 23, 1933. She lived in Lima, the capital of Peru, with her parents, Silversmith Tiburelo Medina and Victoria Losea. In 1939, at the age of five years and six months, she gave birth to a healthy Baby Boy, who was named Gerardo after the doctor that delivered him. Gerardo grew up thinking Lina was his elder sister. Although, when he was ten, he came to know their true relationship. To date, Lina remains the youngest girl known to have given birth in medical history.
Medical explanation for the early pregnancy
Initially, when Lina’s parents noticed her stomach was growing, they thought she had a tumor, which was exactly what the doctors thought as well. Surprisingly, after running a series of tests, they found out she was seven months pregnant. On May 14, 1939, Lina gave birth by Caesarean Section to a healthy 2.7kg baby boy. According to the doctor, Lina already had mature reproductive organs at the age of five, which was a result of a Medical Condition known as precocious puberty. According to the medical report, she had been having regular menstrual periods since she was three. Also, she had an advanced and wide pelvic bone.
Precocious puberty is a medical condition that occurs when physical and hormonal signs of puberty begin to develop at an age earlier than normal.
Possible signs include breast development, pubic hair development, rapid weight gain, the start of menstruation, mature body odor, acne, voice deepening and enlarged testicles, and change in emotion and behavior. Children with this medical condition usually don’t reach their full adult height potential. Initially, they may grow tall when compared to their peers, but often times, they stop growing sooner than they are supposed to and become shorter than they would have been.
The father of the child and her later life
Neither the father of her child nor the circumstances of her impregnation are known. Although there was suspicion that her father was responsible for her pregnancy, the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. Unfortunately, the father of her child was never identified.
When she became a young adult, she worked as a secretary in the Lima clinic of Lozada. In 1972, she married a man named Raul Jurado, and had her second son. In 2002, she lived in a poor district of Lima. Since then, she has refused interviews with many reporters.
