A 65-year-old German woman, who is already has 13 children, has given birth to quadruplets after undergoing an artificial insemination procedure in Ukraine,

The three boys and one girl were born premature at 26 weeks in a Berlin hospital but have "good chances of surviving," the report said.

The mother, Berlin resident Annegret Raunigk, is an English and Russian teacher close to retirement and in addition to her 13 children is grandmother to seven.

She became pregnant after undergoing several artificial insemination procedures in Ukraine, said RTL, which has negotiated exclusive rights to the story of the births.

At the time, she said she decided to try to have another child because her youngest daughter, who is nine, wanted a little brother or sister

"After the doctor discovered there were four, I had to give it some thought to begin with."

"I'm not actually afraid. I simply assume I'll remain healthy and fit. In matters of organisation I have enough experience, that's not new for me," she was quoted as saying

Raunigk made headlines 10 years ago too, when she gave birth to her 13th child, Lelia, at the age of 55.