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An 11-year-old pregnant girl gives birth in England. Those are the headlines, but is it really possible?
Apparently, yes.
That’s according to the British tabloid The Sun, which reported, “MUM AT 11 Girl aged just 11 gives birth and is believed to be Britain’s youngest ever mum.” The girl has not been identified, nor has the father.
The girl is not the youngest child in history to give birth, though. That distinction belongs to a Peruvian child who gave birth in 1939 at age 6, Snopes confirmed.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Family of the British Girl Was Shocked by the Birth
11-year-old girl reportedly becomes UK’s youngest mom to give birth t.co/QJ7oxJTgAE
The Sun reported that the girl became pregnant when she was just 10 years old. Both the girl and the baby are fine, according to The Sun, which reported that her family had no clue about the pregnancy.
“It has come as a big shock,” The Sun quoted a source close to the family.
“She’s now being surrounded by expert help. The main thing is that she and the baby are OK. There are questions around why people did not know. That is very worrying.”
Carol Cooper, a doctor, told The Sun: “This is the youngest mother I’ve heard of. The average age at which a girl begins puberty is 11, though it can be anytime between 8 and 14, or younger. Weight affects many hormones. Because children are heavier, puberty is happening earlier these days.”
The Youngest Girl to Give Birth in History Was Only 5 Years Old
Youngest UK mum Tressa Middleton, raped by brother at 11, pregnant – t.co/RhlsNikGRe
The previous record for the youngest person to give birth in England was age 12. That girl was named Tressa Middleton. She has spoken out about her pregnancy, the result of being raped by her brother, The Mirror reported. Her brother was eventually jailed, and she gave the baby up for adoption.
Middleton told The Mirror that she hoped to meet her baby daughter someday, saying, “I know it’s going to be hard for her to find out her uncle is actually her dad. I hope she doesn’t blame me for staying quiet.”
Amazingly, Snopes confirmed that the youngest girl to ever give birth was only 5 years and 8 months old when she became pregnant and nearly 6 1/2 years old when she gave birth. Her name was Lina Medina, and she gave birth in Peru in 1939. Time Magazine, which reported in 1939 on the birth — a Caesarean section because the child’s pelvis was too small for childbirth — described another Peruvian child giving birth at age 9 in 1957. One doctor quoted in that story said he had seen four cases in 30 years of girls giving birth younger than 11.
In 2011, according to Live Science, a 12-year-old Dutch girl gave birth. Live Science reported that giving birth at age 12 is not unusual in undeveloped countries. The site explained that girls can become pregnant once they start ovulating about a year after menstruation, which typically happens around 11 and 12 in North American women. There is a phenomenon known as “precocious puberty,” or early onset menstruation, though, which can cause girls to ovulate much earlier.
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