I had TRIPLETS at 50 after being told our chances were just 5 per cent – discount IVF in Cyprus was so worth it
A nurse who was told she had less than a five per cent chance of conceiving due to her age has given birth to triplets at the age of 50.
Marie Gustavsson says being a parent in her 50s is easier than it was when she first fell pregnant at 19, but admits that some people were ‘disappointed’.
Ms Gustavsson and her husband, who already share four sons, were adamant about having another baby, leading them to seek IVF abroad.
On November 2, 2024, the couple from Gothenburg, Sweden, travelled to Cyprus for IVF treatment, which cost them £4,750, and included the cost of donor eggs.
Three embryos, which were created using the other woman’s eggs and her husband’s sperm, were transferred into her womb to maximise the chance of pregnancy.
‘I’m very healthy and have had no problems in my other pregnancies,’ says Ms Gustavsson. ‘I’ve had it very easily all the way and we’ve never had fertility issues.’
Despite this, she admits that she ‘didn’t think’ IVF would work the first time around.
‘They said there was only a five per cent chance they would stick,’ she adds.
Despite the nurse saying she was ‘never afraid’ of being pregnant later in life, she was at a higher risks of experiencing preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, hypertension and preterm delivery.
Marie Gustavsson says being a parent in her 50s is easier than it was when she first fell pregnant at 19
Despite carrying triplets at 50, Marie says the pregnancy was smooth
Against the odds, Ms Gustavsson found out she was pregnant just three days after the transfer on November 5. Even more remarkably, she was carrying triplets.
‘I was so shocked and so happy,’ she says. ‘It was a fantastic gift.’
‘When I was pregnant, my belly became like a big stone. I couldn’t feel the babies moving because it was so tight inside.
‘People around me never knew how many babies were in my belly; they only knew that I was pregnant.
‘We didn’t tell anyone it was three babies, because we didn’t know if all of them would make it.
‘It was shocking for everyone. Some people were disappointed but most of our family and friends were happy for us.’
The triplets were delivered by emergency caesarean section on May 12, 2025.
The babies, Charlie, 3lb 4.9oz, Lorinne, 2lb 13oz and Lara, 2lb 3.2oz, spent nine weeks in the ICU and were finally allowed home on July 21.
‘Some asked how we were going to take care of them,’ says Ms Gustavsson.
‘I was afraid for a few weeks, wondering how I’d make it and how we’d cope.
‘We got a good nanny to help us – we both work from home and we take it in turns throughout the night.’
‘My babies keep me younger in body and soul,’ says the mother of seven. The triplets, now eight months old, are pictured
‘I sleep from 9pm to 2am, and my husband sleeps from 2am to 7am.’
The couple’s eldest child, Sebastian, is 31, meaning that when the triplets are 18, their eldest brother will be 49.
Their other children are 19-year-old Jasper, eight-year-old Leo and three-year-old Louis.
Ms Gustavsson says: ‘Being a mum again at 50 isn’t a problem. It’s better than when I was 19 and didn’t know how to take care of babies.
‘Now it’s easy with help. I’ve always tried to live healthy and take care of myself, and that helps me to take care of my babies.
‘My babies keep me younger in body and soul. I’m not worried about not being around for as long as I’m around for my oldest.
‘I’m open-minded. I hope I will stay healthy for many years and see my kids grow up.
‘I live healthy and take good care of myself. There are no guarantees that young people will live longer, and anything could happen, so why worry?’
