The world’s most fertile woman had 69 children: Who is Valentina Vassilyeva and what is her incredible story?


Valentina Vassilyeva is recognized as the woman who has given birth to the most children in a single lifetime. While modern stories might feature families with 15 to 30 children, none come close to Valentina’s record.

Born in 1707 in the city of Shuya, Russia, which is approximately 250 kilometers northeast of Moscow, Valentina was a peasant woman. She is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for having given birth to 69 children, all with her husband Feodor Vassilyev. This astonishing feat included 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets, resulting in 27 childbirths.

Valentina’s pregnancies are estimated to have lasted about 37 weeks for twins, 32 weeks for triplets, and 30 weeks for quadruplets. Remarkably, considering the era and her lack of access to advanced medical care, all but two of her children survived childbirth.

While the Guinness Book of World Records acknowledges this record, skepticism exists, especially among medical professionals who question the plausibility of such prolific childbirth in 18th-century Russia. However, there is some historical documentation to support this claim. In February 1782, the Nikolskiy Monastery sent a report to Moscow stating that Feodor Vassilyev had 82 living children from two marriages at that time.