I’ve read many stories about young mothers over the years, but some stories still leave us in awe of the human body’s mysteries.
Despite all the scientific advances we’ve made, the human body can still surprise us.
Teenage pregnancy is often a tough topic to discuss, but it’s nothing compared to child pregnancy.
This often involves the sexual abuse of minors, and a mother who is not ready to be a parent.
One such case is that of Lina Medina, the youngest confirmed mother in medical history. She was only five years, seven months, and 21 days old when she gave birth to a son.
Sadly, the man who assaulted her was never punished.
Lina was born in 1933 in the poor, remote town of Ticrapo, Peru. She lived with her parents and eight siblings in small, crowded quarters.
When Lina was four, her father noticed something strange—his daughter’s stomach began to swell like a balloon.
Soon, people in the town started talking about her condition, with many thinking she had a “demon” inside her. Her father even sought help from healers and shamans, hoping they could remove it.
Nothing worked, and her family grew concerned that she might have a tumor. They traveled to the city of Pisco to take Lina to the hospital.
At the hospital, they met Dr. Gerardo Lozado, who initially suspected a tumor. But when he examined Lina further, the truth shocked him—she was seven months pregnant.
The doctor couldn’t believe it. He called in specialists from the capital city, Lima, who confirmed his findings.
On May 14, 1939, when Lina was just five years old, she gave birth to a healthy child through a Caesarean section. The baby weighed 6 pounds (2.7 kg) and was 19 inches (48 cm) long. The baby was named Gerardo in honor of the doctor who helped her.
Lina’s pregnancy made headlines worldwide, from the New York Times in the U.S. to the Daily Telegraph in England. It was even reported alongside news of World War II.
Many offers came for Lina and her son to travel to the U.S. for medical tests, but her parents refused. The president of Peru at the time, Oscar Benavides, passed a law to protect them from being exploited for money and promised them financial support. Sadly, Lina never saw any of that money.
People couldn’t believe that such a young girl could become pregnant and give birth successfully.
In her town, some saw her as a “virgin Mary.” Others even suggested her baby was the son of the sun god.
But the authorities didn’t buy that explanation. They suspected Lina’s father was the one who had raped her. He was questioned by the police and briefly jailed, but there was no evidence, and he was released. Suspicions then fell on one of her brothers, who had mental health issues.
Another theory pointed to the family gardener, but he disappeared when Lina’s pregnancy was confirmed.
To this day, the identity of the man who did this to Lina remains a mystery. Despite numerous requests from the press, Lina has never spoken about it.
Years later, Peruvian doctors discovered that Lina had an extremely rare hormonal disorder of the pituitary gland.
At just eight months old, Lina had her first period. By age four, she was already in puberty. By the time she gave birth, her body was fully developed, and she had the physical maturity of an adult woman. Her case set a world record, which was later matched by a similar case in Russia.
Lina wasn’t able to care for her child, so Gerardo was raised by his grandparents. For a long time, he thought Lina was his sister. When he turned 10, he learned the truth about his mother.
Life wasn’t easy for Lina, but she had help from Dr. Lozado, the doctor who delivered her baby. He later hired Lina to work as a secretary in his clinic.
It took Lina a long time before she became a mother again. At age 30, she married Ricardo Jurado and had her second child at age 38.
Lina’s son Gerardo died at age 40 from a bone marrow disease.
Lina and Ricardo eventually moved to Mexico, where they lived for several years before returning to Peru. They settled in a dangerous, poor area of Lima called “Little Chicago.”
They built a house there, but in the 1980s, the government tore it down to build a highway.
Finally, in 2002, a gynecologist named José Sandoval took interest in Lina’s case. He urged the government to fulfill the promise they made to her when she was a child. Lina received the financial support she had been promised.
Lina’s husband told the media that years of harassment from journalists turned her into an introvert.
Now 91 years old, Lina still faces constant attention from the press, who continue to try to uncover every detail of her life.
However, Lina has always refused every interview request and remained silent about her story. Because of this, the mystery surrounding her pregnancy continues to fascinate the world.
I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for a girl so young to give birth and become a mother. It must have been incredibly hard—especially knowing that, even after all these years, the person who did this to her has never been caught!
