World's Youngest Mother: Lina Medina Gave Birth at Just 5 Years Old

• Lina Medina became the world's youngest mother at age 5, giving birth in 1939.
• Born in Peru in 1933, her parents initially thought her enlarged abdomen was a tumor.
• Doctors confirmed her pregnancy, a medical marvel given her age and precocious puberty (menstruation began at age 3).
• She delivered a son, Gerardo, via C-section on May 14, 1939; the father's identity was never revealed.
• Lina later married in 1972, had another child, and raised Gerardo as her brother until his death from bone cancer in 1979.

Why It Matters: This highlights the shocking case of Lina Medina, the world's youngest mother at 5.