Woman in India 'has twins at 70'

Advertisement

Mother and babies in hospital

A woman said to be 70 years of age has given birth to twins in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state after taking IVF treatment.

Omkari Panwar has no birth certificate but if her age is proven it would make her the world's oldest mother.

The twins, a boy and girl both weighing 2lbs, were delivered one month early by Caesarian section.

The couple were so desperate for a male heir that they spent their life savings and took out a bank loan for IVF.

Now, we are very grateful to God, who has answered our prayers Charam Singh, father of twins

Omkari Panwar already has two daughters and is a grandmother to five children.

"We already have two girls but we wanted a boy so that he could have taken care of our property. This boy and girl are God's greatest gift to us," Omkari said.

Father of the twins, Charam Singh, a farmer in his mid-70s, told ABC News he was very happy.

"The desire for a male child has always been there, but God did not bless us with a male child. Now, we are very grateful to God, who has answered our prayers," he said.

Doctors said the twins were doing fine.

Omkari maintains she was nine years old when the British left India in 1947, which would make her 70.

In December 2006, a 67-year-old Spanish woman gave birth to twins in Barcelona.

A woman said to be 65 gave birth to a boy in India's eastern Orissa state in 2003.