Woman in Bengal preserves sperm Of dead husband to become mother; doctors say her effort is 'praiseworthy'

A woman gave birth to a baby boy weighing 2.5 kg at the Rampurhat Medical College in Birbhum through the IVF method. She used the sperm stored by her husband at a Kolkata-based laboratory after he passed away due to COVID-19 to give birth to her child.

Murarai: In a unique case of sorts, on Tuesday night, a 48-year-old woman gave birth to a baby boy at the Rampurhat Medical College Hospital through the in vitro fertilization (IVF) method using her husband's sperm, who is no more. The newborn is healthy and weighs around 2.5 kg. The mother has been admitted to the critical care unit and has been kept under observation.

As per reports, Sangita Keshari and her husband Arun Prasad Keshari, residents of Birbhum, were facing complications in conceiving, for the last two years. Finally, they decided to opt for the IVF method. In 2021, Arun's sperm was stored in a Kolkata-based laboratory. However, soon after that, he passed away due to COVID-19. Sangita did not give up and decided to use the stored sperm to give birth to her son.

However, the sad part of the story is that she has nobody by her side to look after the baby as she is the lone breadwinner in the family. Nobody in her in-law's house kept in touch with her since her husband's death. As per local sources, Sangita originally hailed from Naihati in North 24 Parganas. She got married to Arun 27 years ago and the couple ran a grocery store in the Murarai area. After her husband's death, she ran the grocery store all by herself.

Medical Superintendent-cum-vice principal of Rampurhat Medical College Hospital Palash Das said, “The woman became a mother under difficult circumstances. During the end of childbearing age, the way she preserved the sperm and took a risk to be a mother is praiseworthy. She deserves a salute for this. We are happy because both the mother and the baby are doing well."