A Tunisian woman is set to break the world record for multiple deliveries by giving birth to 12 babies later this month, media reports said on Tuesday.
The Gulfnews website said the unnamed woman, in her 30s, had two miscarriages earlier and underwent fertility treatment. She is an Arabic language teacher from Gafsa in southwest Tunisa.
Doctors have warned that the chances of any of the duodecaplets surviving are very low. The woman says she expects to deliver the six boys and six girls through natural birth, but medics warned this could put her life at risk.
The website quoted the woman's husband as saying: "In the beginning, we thought that my wife would give birth to twins, but more foetuses were discovered. Our joy increased with the growing number."
There are no known instances of live births resulting from pregnancies of 10 babies or more.