A 67-year-old Romanian yesterday became the oldest woman ever known to have given birth, although one of her twin girls died shortly afterwards, Bucharest's Giulesti Hospital said, in a report carried by a TV station.

Adriana Iliescu, a retired university professor, had undergone fertility treatment for nine years before succeeding in becoming pregnant.

Realitatea TV said she had given birth to twin girls, one of whom had died almost immediately. The surviving infant, which weighed 1.4 kilogram (three pounds), was in good health, the TV channel said.