When Lina Medina’s stomach began growing, doctors were certain she was suffering from a large tumor – she was only five years old, after all.
But after running tests they found she was seven months pregnant and weeks later she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
And almost 80 years on, Lina is still the youngest person in the world to have ever given birth.
She was born in a small village in the Andes in Peru to a poor family in 1933.
At the age of five, her mother noticed her growing abdomen after she complained about having stomach pains.
Just weeks later on May 14, 1939, she gave birth to a baby boy by a Caesaerean as her young pelvis was deemed to small for a natural birth.
Her baby was born a healthy 6 pounds and the infant was named Gerardo in honor of the doctor who delivered him.
When Gerardo was born, the doctor discovered that despite being five years old, she had mature sexual organs and suffered from a a condition called precocious puberty.
It was believed her father had committed incest with his daughter and he was arrested.
But he was later released by police due to a lack of evidence and to this day the true identity of the father has never been revealed.
Growing up, Gerardo always believed Lina was his sister but at the age of ten was told she was his mother.
Gerardo grew up healthy but died at the age of 40 in 1979 after suffering from a bone disease.
Lina – who has never spoken about the pregnancy – is still alive aged 85. She married husband Raul in the 1970s, later giving birth to her second son.
Her case has often been thought of as a hoax, but doctors say they have x-rays and biopsies that prove she really was pregnant.
This article originally appeared on The Sun.
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