Meet the Legendary Mother Who Achieved Record Fertility with 44 Kids by 36

At the age of 36, Mariam from Uganda gave birth to 44 children, and now, at 41, she is raising them on her own. Her remarkable story is one of resilience and strength, as she faces the daily challenges of motherhood and survival. Despite the enormous responsibilities, Mariam continues to care for her large family with unwavering determination, relying on her resourcefulness and occasional charitable support to get by.

A childhood full of tragedies.

Mariam was born on December 25, 1980, in central Uganda. She never had a chance to enjoy her childhood, as she was married off at a young age to a 40-year-old man. He treated her poorly. She became pregnant for the first time as a teenager and gave birth to twins.

Her medical condition led to a large family.

A couple of years later, Mariam had triplets, and then quadruplets. She soon realized that she had a rare genetic condition that caused her to produce multiple eggs in each ovulation cycle. The same results in frequent multiple births. She said that her father had the same condition and had 45 children with different women. All of them were twins, triplets, quadruplets, or quintuplets.

She wanted to stop having babies but doctors advised against it.

Mariam’s condition, known as hyperovulation, also made her ovaries larger than normal. She was advised by doctors to keep having children, as stopping could lead to health complications. She had no access to family planning or birth control, and her husband refused to help her.

By the time she was 23, she had 25 children. By the time she was 36, she had 44 children, including three sets of quadruplets, four sets of triplets, and six sets of twins. She had a total of 15 pregnancies, and six of her children died at birth or shortly after. She has 16 daughters and 22 sons.

She has a world record title.

Mariam’s fertility is unmatched by any other woman in the world. According to Guinness World Records, the most children born to one mother is 69 between 1725 and 1765. However, she had 27 pregnancies, each consisting of multiples. Mariam had 15 pregnancies, each with at least two children. She is the fourth most prolific mother in history, and the most fertile woman alive. Her eldest children are 32 years old, while the youngest is 7 as of April 2024.

Her husband left her and the kids homeless but she never gave up on her children.

Mariam’s husband was not supportive of her or their children. He often mistreated and neglected them. He left her in 2015, when she was pregnant with her last set of twins. He also sold their farm, where they lived, and left them homeless. Mariam and her children moved in with her grandmother, who died soon after. Mariam then had to fight for the ownership of the house, which she is still paying for in installments. She is now a single mother, who has to provide for her children on her own.

Mariam primarily relies on donations that occasionally provide food, beds, and other basic necessities for her family of about 66 people, which includes herself, her children, her grandchildren, and several daughters-in-law.

Now the most prolific woman, Mariam works part-time as an herbalist, hairdresser, and seamstress to pay the bills. Since her husband is said to have stolen the family money before leaving her and their children, she is more dependent on charity.

The complex where Mariam, now known as the most prolific woman, lives with her family consists of five cement block houses with corrugated iron roofs. The complex reportedly has 17 rooms, 15 bedrooms, and two living and dining areas, but without tables or chairs.

Among celebrities, there are also parents with many children. Of course, they’re far from Mariam’s record, but one father has an impressive 17 kids.