An Israeli woman aged 46 has given birth to a son from her husband, even though he died nearly five years ago.

Sharon Alon Twitto had been hoping for a baby with her husband when he died suddenly of a heart attack in March 2018.

After his death, his wife obtained a court order on the same day from the Magistrates Court in Haifa allowing sperm to be taken from his body for future use.

The court approved the request and the sperm was stored, and she then went into a second legal battle to be allowed use it.

As she fought the legal battle, she also decided to change careers, moving from being a manager in a medical supplies company to becoming an interior designer.

She opened her own studio, named Studio Saga, in memory of her husband.

Her hope of becoming a mum was realised when she discovered she was pregnant in May last year.

As it was regarded as a high-risk pregnancy, she was looked after by Prof. Rinat Gabai Ben-Ziv, head of the maternity ward at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center.

Her son, weighing a healthy 3 kilogrammes, was born early via a caesarean section.

After the birth, she said: “I am sure that Sagi is looking on from above with great pride.”

She is currently still in the maternity ward but is expected to be released in the next few days.