A woman in India believed to be 70 years old has given birth to twins, and apparently has become the world's oldest mother. Indian TV reported that Omkali Singh Panwar and her 77-year-old husband, Charan, have two married daughters and five grandchildren, and were desperate to have a son.

The couple had the twins through in vitro fertilization and Omkali gave birth to a boy and girl on June 27th.

The twins were born a month premature and delivered by emergency caesarean.

The father is a farmer and is said to have mortgaged his land to pay for the in vitro treatment.

India has a deep-seated preference for boys, because boys don't need dowries and help care for their parents in old age.