pregnant woman
There is no legal limit on the age at which women can seek fertility treatment Getty

A 62-year-old Spanish doctor has revealed she is eight months pregnant with her third child after undergoing fertility treatment. Lina Alvarez, who lives in the province of Lugo, in north western Spain began the menopause 20 years ago, but is now expecting a baby girl.

Her pregnancy has sparked a debate in Spain and she has faced criticism for having a baby in her sixties. However, the doctor who is due to give birth next month, has dismissed the criticism, saying she feels half her age.

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"I feel like a woman in her 30s. To feel better than this is impossible," she said. "I feel rejuvenated due to the hormonal changes and the joy that I feel."

Alvarez has two sons, the oldest of which is now aged 27. However, he was born with cerebral palsey after a medical error during her pregnancy.

She also has another son aged 10, who was born when she was 52, also by IVF. A carer for her eldest son, she explained: "I am very happy because I am living now my reward for so much suffering. It is a miracle. It was a life of tears. For years I cried every day because I could not face my son's disease. He had to be in hospital twice a week."

The mother-to-be, whose pregnancy has so far been normal, said she had sought medical advice before becoming pregnant with her third child.

"I always wanted to be a mother again, but most medical experts said no. However, some years ago I met a gynaecologist who agreed to help me if the tests were OK and they were positive so he planted an embryo," she explained.

"They said there was only a six per cent chance of success, but I got pregnant with a baby girl. Everything is going perfectly. I feel like I'm having a second chance and the pregnancy has made me feel younger and stronger.

She added that she is not concerned about her advancing years and feels confident she will be able to look after her daughter along with her grandchildren.

"When she will be 30, I will be 90. I will be a grandmother as well as a mother and so what, the fact is that my daughter will have been brought up."

The baby, who already weighs 4.4lbs has been named Lina after her mother, The Telegraph reports