The world's youngest mother - a medical mystery for nearly 80 years.

Thuy Quynh• September 24, 2018 16:11

In 1939, five-year-old Lina Medina gave birth to a healthy baby boy, shocking the world.

Lina Medina was born in a remote village in Peru. According toAllthatsinterestingWhen Lina was 5 years old, her parents noticed her stomach was unusually large. Fearing it might be a tumor, they took her to the doctor. The doctors' diagnosis shocked everyone.

Dr. Gerardo Lozada, who directly examined and treated the girl, diagnosed Lina as being seven months pregnant. However, the doctor himself was uncertain about his findings and referred her to other specialists. Incredibly, they all came to the same conclusion: Lina was pregnant. The evidence included her medical records, a photograph of Lina during her pregnancy, and a fairly clear X-ray showing a developing fetus inside her.

Lina Medina became pregnant when she was only 5 years old. Photo:Allthatsinteresting

Subsequent analysis revealed that Lina may have started ovulating as early as 8 months old and had regular periods by age 3. She showed signs of breast development and pelvic widening by age 5. By the time Lina Medina became pregnant, her body had developed almost to that of an adult woman.


Lina's father was arrested on suspicion of incest and child abuse. He was later released due to lack of evidence. One of Lina's siblings was also under surveillance, but there was no evidence to suggest he was the child's father.

The world's youngest mother in 80 years remains a medical mystery.

According to researchers, Lina's case is called "precocious puberty." Approximately one in 10,000 children experience this condition, which can occur before the age of eight. Girls are more prone to precocious puberty than boys. This may partially explain Lina's pregnancy, but researchers say her case remains highly mysterious because the likelihood of someone having their first period at age three and becoming pregnant at age five is very low.


Lina Medina gave birth to a baby boy weighing 2.7 kg, who was named Gerardo Medina. He was raised as Lina's younger brother and always thought of her as his older sister. It wasn't until he was 10 years old that Gerardo learned Lina was his mother.

Gerardo Medina grew up healthy and normal. At age 33, Lina married Raul Jurado. In 1979, Gerardo, then 40, died of bone marrow disease, while Lina continued to live with her husband in a poor district of Peru. She always refused to share information about her life, deciding to keep the identity of her son's father a secret until the end of her life.

Image:Allthatsinteresting

Since then, Lina Medina has been considered the youngest mother in the history of world medicine. Several organizations and research institutions have tried to contact Lina and her son to learn more about their case, but her parents have refused. To date, only a few photographs believed to have been taken of Medina during her pregnancy have been published outside of medical literature.

In an article about the incident published in October 1955, author Luis Leon stated that many villages in Peru regularly held religious festivals. Those participating included groups involved in sexual activity and rape.

Thuy Quynh