Youngest human to give birth was five. Is this a survial instinct?

Ok. I was reading a link on ATS, which lead to one outside link after another, till I found this story. I really wasn't sure about the right section to place it in, but I thought I would try here.

The first article I read said that in some african villiages, it's normal for a girl to have a child at 5 or 8 and then die at 18 from old age. I thought it was bs, cause kids can't have kids at 5 right?

Then I did a google search just to be sure. Well apparently they in rare cases can.


en.wikipedia.org...
www.incrediblebirths.com...


Then there was the recent story about the 9 year old, who got pregnant for her boyfriend who she met in school. What happened to Nintendo 64?
news.asiaone.com...


Anyways, it makes me beg the question, is there a survival instint that would kick in to allow the human race to reproduce rapidly, if we needed to? Just like some creatures can change their genders as needed?

(Oh yeah and they never did find out who the perv was who got the five year old pregnant, that's the other question that comes to mind.)

That is amazing to say the least and at the same time it is very sick.
In answer to your inquiry about a "survival instinct" I don't have the faintest clue but it sounds like a plausible theory that you got there, keep us updated on any new information you come across.

THE 5 YEAR OLD you mentioned had her son in 1938 in peru and the last time i looked was still alive unfortunately her son died in his 40s the doctors said she was a bizarre case she went through puberty at 2 or 3.
they never found out who her attacker was

I've read in medical articles of girls entering puberty as young as 8 or 9, and the age for onset of female puberty (not sure about males) has been decreasing over the last few decades quite quickly. I haven't ever heard of a case as young as 5, but I suppose maybe it could happen in a one in a million times or something.

i dont think it is a survival instinct because if the 5 year old girl was left alone to give birth without the help of modern medicine and doctors she would have died during child birth as her pelvis was too small for a natural birth. If that case is true that is ?

I suppose biologically speaking as soon as menstration occurs the female can technically conceive. But birth of a baby when the parents arent capapble of providing or protecting it would be the opposite of survivla. Youd just be setting small bags of meat out for carnivores. The human baby isnt capapble of walking on two legs, solving problems and using reason for years after birth where most animals are up and functioning within hours or days of birth.

And regardless of the situation if I discovered some guy running around raping children in the name of 'survival' I would feel quite compelled to castrate that individual and tie him down in the hot sun for the fire ants.

Hi thisguyrighthere

I like your style, and I need a good laugh today. Yeah I guess it can not be called a survival instinct, I was just really surprised that this could happen at all at such a young age.

I wondered if we had some disease wipe out most of humanity, it we would see lower ages for boys and girls for when they could reproduce?

Still I like the idea that you would be there to protect the youngster with the fire ants and the other methods.

Thank you. If feels good to laugh.

the peruvian girl is said to have gotten her period when she was just 8 months old, and gave birth to her son at 5 years old by c-section. if yall are gonna research info, then do it right!

The instinct of procreation is a "survival instinct" and it is our most base instinct, as it is of every species. To give birth at 5 is just a result of a genetic mutation which allowed her to go through puberty at a very young age.
However the age of the mother is based on social belief of the persons involved and their environment. In most cultures, pre-westernisation, 15-18 was the most common age for child birth; and it is the most biologically successful.

[edit on 25-1-2009 by funny_pom]

I reached puberty at the age of 11, on the low side of normal.

Considering that there seems to be soemthing in the water making it less common for men to be conceived, it doesn't seem out of the question that the same substance could send women into puberty earlier.

Originally posted by proteus33
THE 5 YEAR OLD you mentioned had her son in 1938 in peru and the last time i looked was still alive unfortunately her son died in his 40s the doctors said she was a bizarre case she went through puberty at 2 or 3.
they never found out who her attacker was

This was the only verified incidence where a girl had a baby before the age of nine. She had a disease that made her body develope rapidly. Her attacker was verified to be her uncle, who was in his twenties.

That is an interesting question. Girls are born with all the ovum they will use for the rest of their life, where as boys have to develop testicles that are capable of producing sperm.

I can't see any situation where a girl that young can possibly bring up a child without adult help though. Another poster said about sending out little meat bags for the wolves - that's about right I think.

I think it's more of a freak of nature as opposed to a survival mechanism... But then again evolution is just a series of freaks that struck lucky. Realistically any pregnancy that has not been thought out in advance is not a good idea, and in the old sit X that's even more the case,

reply to post by RedDanDoc


the 5 year old had a rare disease which meant her reproductive system was already that of a full gorwn woman's at the age of 5, and her pelvis was the same as a gorwn woman's would be. and she had a c section at full term