Thanks to IVF, Loutolim man turns father at 81

PANAJI: At 3.55pm on August 20, the impossible became possible for Carlos Mascarenhas. At 81, the former detective became the proud father of a baby girl. He and his wife, Merlyn, 36, opted for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) after they tasted success with it with their first born, a girl, in 2011.
“There are many instances of older men who have fathered a child,” said Dr Kedar Padte, the obgyn. “However, Carlos is perhaps the oldest new papa in Loutolim, and perhaps even in Goa.”

Mascarenhas, from Loutolim, was thrilled. “I’m over the moon,” he said, on his way home with his wife and newborn.

Carlos married Merlyn in 2007. When they decided to start a family, they went in for IVF, resulting in Giselle’s birth in 2011. The couple’s longing for a second child brought them back to Dr Padte.

“To complete the family, Carlos and Merlyn continued their IVF treatment,” said Padte. “The second child was born after Merlyn underwent a painstaking treatment of months of IVF treatment.”

Mascarenhas, who studied at St Paul’s, Belgaum, and matriculated there in 1952, soon followed his parents to Africa. He worked as a detective there for fifteen years, and after quitting in 1968, moved to corporate finance and emigrated first to England, and then to Canada. In 2005, he moved back to Goa for good.

Now, the former South African detective runs a botanical garden and resort, ‘Garca Branca’, in Loutolim. He is also an author, having written a book ‘I was a copper! A copper I was?’

Dr Padte’s team comprised of Dr.Veena Velingkar, Dr.Mahesh Parsekar, Dr.Nikhil Bhoomkar, Dr.Pankaj Naik, Dr.Anant Tanksale, Dr.Jyoti Gadkar, Dr.Ramchandra Bhat and Geetanjali Sukhija.