The Peruvian Lina Mediana, is best known for being the world’s youngest confirmed mother. She gave birth to her first son when she was just five years and seven months old, so her case is considered a medical miracle.
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Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Lina Marcela Medina de Jurado hails from Ticrapo, Castrovirreyna Province, and was born under the Libra zodiac sign on 23 September 1933, which makes her 89 years old as of 2023. She’s one of the nine children of the silversmith, Tiburelo Medina, and the homemaker, Victoria Losea. Medina began experiencing post-pubescent signs when she a very young child, which included developed breasts and wider-than-normal hips.
Lina’s educational background remains unknown.
Medina’s Pregnancy
When she was five years old, Lina’s parents noticed that her abdomen was bulging and that she was struggling with belly pain. They presumed that she had a tumor in her stomach and rushed her to a nearby hospital in Pisco. To their surprise, the doctors established that their daughter was then seven months pregnant. To confirm the findings, they consulted Dr. Gerardo Lozada, who was a respected medical specialist.
On 14 May 1939, Lina gave birth to a healthy boy via Cesarean section whom they named Gerardo Medina; the baby weighed around 6lbs (2.7kg). Lina’s case took pediatricians and other medical practitioners by surprise, and also attracted international attention. It is widely believed that Lina suffered from a very rare genetic condition known as precocious puberty, which is characterized by abnormally early maturity. Girls with the condition often develop breasts, have their first period, and advanced bone growth before reaching the age of eight. On the other hand, boys with precocious puberty develop deepened voices, facial hair, and enlarged genitals before reaching the standard puberty age; according to the study, the condition only affects one in 10,000 children. Recent research has revealed that it’s likely that precocious puberty is accelerated by engaging in sexual intercourse at a young age. In the case of Marcela, Dr. Edmundo reported to a health journal that she experienced her first period at the age of eight months; other publications have alleged that Marcella began menstruating at the age of three.
Medina’s case files comprise many accounts by the doctors and pediatricians who handled her case, including X-ray images of her belly that show her developing fetus.
Meet Lina Marcela Medina de Jurado born (23 September 1933), a Peruvian woman who became the youngest confirmed mother in history, giving birth at age 5 years, 7 months, and 21 days. Based on the medical assessments of her pregnancy, she was less than 5 years old when…👇👇 pic.twitter.com/FCdKLBcPIp
— M.O.F 💪 (@theLamzyy) February 19, 2020
Identity of Medina’s Son’s Father
Lina never told the authorities the conditions that led to her pregnancy, or the name of the man responsible for assaulting her. According to Dr. Escomel, Lina ‘could not give accurate responses’ when she was questioned about the circumstances of her assault, since she was still very young. Likely, she did not even know who her son’s father was. Medina’s son, Gerardo, grew up believing that she was his older sister, but learned the truth when he was 10 years old.
After the Peruvian police intervened to apprehend the person responsible for impregnating Lina, her father became a prime suspect. Moreover, one of Lina’s cousins, who was mentally ill, was arrested in connection to the case. DNA technology was unavailable in the late ‘30s – therefore not legally accepted as evidence –and as a result, doctors couldn’t conduct a paternity test; Lina’s father and cousin were shortly afterward acquitted for lack of evidence. In the 1955 release of the “Chicago Tribute,” Luis Leon alleged that Lina might have been sexually assaulted during a religious festival in her village. Rape was very common during the annual festivals, which were held in remote Peruvian villages.
Career
In her younger days, Dr. Gerardo Lozada hired Lina to work as a secretary at his clinic. Dr. Lozada also educated her, and helped her son through high school.
Several authors, including the obstetrician Jose Sandoval, have written books about Medina’s rare case. In his book, “Mother Aged 5” Sandoval stated that Lina preferred to play with dolls and toys instead of looking after her child. Moreover, there are numerous YouTube videos covering Lina’s story, and some of the most popular include “World’s Youngest Mother, Age 5 Lina Medina,” which was uploaded by Worlds Biggest in April 2014 and has almost 22 million views, and “Top 10 Youngest Mothers in The World,” which was uploaded by Facts Verse in October 2018 and has over 8 million views as of late 2023.
Personal Life
When she was 33 years old, Lina exchanged vows with a man named Raul Jurado, and in 1972, the couple welcomed a son named Raul Jurado Jr. Lina prefers to live a private life, and has turned down various interviews, and refused to sell the story of her traumatic young life because she didn’t find it right to make money from the ordeal. Previously, her husband Jurado revealed that she turned down an interview with the Reuters news agency in 2002. Medina’s family only allowed two images of the newborn and his mother to be captured for medical literature. In one of the published photographs taken in early April 1939, Medina is seen posing naked when she was seven and a half months expectant. It’s reported that Lina lives in abject poverty with her better half in the poor, crime-ridden Peruvian district of Little Chicago.
Previously, Lina’s house was demolished to pave the way for a road expansion project. It’s reported that she was never compensated for the damages caused by the government, which left her hopeless and furious. Lina has appeared in numerous interviews addressing this issue, and criticizing the Peruvian government for subjecting her to absolute poverty. She also blames the government for condemning her family to live in poverty because she never received the aid that was promised to her after delivering her first son.
Sadly, Lina’s first son Gerardo Medina succumbed to bone marrow disease when he was 40 years old; there is no proven indication linking his disease to his unusual birth. He had lived a normal and healthy life before his demise.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Lina has medium-long gray hair and a set of brown eyes. She weighs approximately 130lbs (60kgs) and is 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall.
Net Worth
Lina has never shown any interest in making a living out of her unusual story. It’s not clear what she does for a living, and her net worth remains unknown.
