The illegal and controversial surgical operation was done in a private clinic in Turkey, where European laws on ovary transplants do not apply, admits the centennial mother who does not wish to disclose the name of the clinic where the operation was undertaken.

“I am very grateful to all the team of doctors who decided to go on with the operation,” she admitted in tears. “I am so grateful to have given birth to my 17th child. This is a true blessing and a testament to the power of the creator,” she told local reporters.

“For so long I have felt useless to God, I could not procreate since I turned 48 years old when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. For a long time I believed God was punishing me for only bearing 16 children, but in his godly generosity, he has granted me with fertility once again,” acknowledges the century-old fervent Catholic.