The Youngest Person To Ever Give Birth Was This 5-Year-Old Girl In Peru (9 Pics)

In 1933, Lina Medina was born in the Andean village of Ticrapo in Peru to a poor family. And just a mere five years later, Medina became the youngest person to give birth in history. Her case is still studied in medical schools around the world. 

Here's her tragic story. 

When Lina Medina was 5 years old, her mother noticed Medina's abdomen was growing unusually large and she complained about stomach pains. Her parents, obviously concerned, took her to a nearby hospital to have her examined. 

At first doctors thought Medina was suffering from a tumor, but after they ran some tests, the doctors determined that somehow, Medina was seven months pregnant. 

About a month and a half after learning she was pregnant, Medina, at the age of 5 years and 7 months, gave birth by caesarean section to a boy on May 14, 1939. Medina's pelvis was too small for a natural birth. 

Medina's son was a totally healthy baby and weighted 6 pounds at the time of birth. 

In honor of Gerardo Lozada, the dedicated doctor who helped to deliver her healthy son, Medina named her son Gerardo. 

During the caesarean section the doctors found something alarming—Medina had fully mature sexual organs. 

Medina had a condition called precocious puberty and had started developing at an alarmingly young age. Her medical records revealed she began menstruating when she was 3 years old. 

Gerardo grew up believing that Medina was his sister, rather than his mother. However, when he was 10 he discovered the truth. 

Medina's father was briefly arrested on suspicion of child sexual abuse and incest, but due to a lack of evidence he was released.

To this day, the circumstances that led to her pregnancy and who fathered the child are still unknown.

Obstetrician Jose Sandoval wrote in his 2002 book on Lina Medina's case, that she was otherwise a psychologically normal child. In fact, according to Sandoval, Medina preferred to play with dolls rather than her son. 

Medina's son Gerardo also grew up healthy and normal, but died at the age of 40 in 1979. 

On the left in this photo is Gerardo at 18 years old and to the right is Medina at 23 years old. 

Medina later married Raúl Jurado and had another son in 1972. She and her husband still live in Peru.