Having treatment to produce a much wanted child when you are unable to conceive naturally is something we have grown used to. At one time, when medicine was still learning about assisted conception there were a many multiple births. But time has moved on and now more embryos that are implanted during procedures like IVF survive, it is no longer necessary to implant quite so many. Plus it is entirely possible to remove some in order to promote the viability of those surviving. Even in this country, where we have a national health service such treatment is not without financial cost. Many people have been denied NHS fertility treatment, though that position has improved recently. But it is not just the assisted conception that you need to consider if you are planning to have a number of embryos emplanted in your uterus. To most people the idea of giving birth to 8 babies is nothing short of abhorrent, but apparently not to a woman in California who delivered that number this week.

On hearing the news this week I was amazed that this event had happened and perhaps a little fearful about what might happen to the woman and her babies. What kind of problems might they encounter, supposing all of the babies continued to be healthy. How on earth would you cope with such a large family? That amazement for me is quickly turning to disgust. This apparently is a woman who had already had 6 children. This is a woman who lives with her parents and is not part of a stable relationship. This is a woman who doctors allowed to undertake this treatment, who had a large number of embryos inplanted and who was allowed to continue with the pregnancy in tact. I do not know how much the hospital bill for the lady is, I do not know if she is paying this herself, but the drain on resources is not purely financial. A neonatal unit that is provided for an area will be seriously stretched if one woman fills it with 8 babies at once. Doctors, midwives and nurses devoting hours of time to one woman and 8 babies cannot be with other women in labour on the same day. The whole thing is almost beyond belief.

When I wonder did it become our right to conceive a child (or many children), to decide that we could put our own life at risk and put each and every one of those babies lives at risk by carrying them all until labour. When was it ok to have a ready made family of 14 without the kind of support systems that every child needs? I hope this lady can give her family the level of care that they will need and that they deserve. Personally I cannot imagine how this can be possible.