A WOMAN who underwent fertility treatment and then had normal sexual relations is 14 weeks pregnant with eight embryos, it was revealed last night.
The woman, in her 20s, had been having ovular stimulation at a private clinic in the West Midlands when she conceived naturally. Medical experts say some of the foetuses will have to be killed to improve the chances of the others surviving.
As surgeons advised abortion, Professor Jack Scarisbrick of the anti abortion group Life pleaded for nature to be allowed to take its course, believing some will naturally die as the pregnancy progresses.
The woman runs a business in Edgbaston, Birmingham and lives in Solihull with her boyfriend. She already has one son. She had been given drugs to increase her egg production, but produced too many and was advised to abstain from sexual intercourse. It is thought she ignored the warnings and is now pregnant.
The Birmingham Post said the pregnancy had been induced by giving the woman drugs, but when she produced too many eggs she was advised not to continue and to stop having sex.
She risks a miscarriage within the next few weeks, the Post says, and even reducing the risk to twins leaves her highly vulnerable to miscarriage. Gynaecologist Dr Peter Bromwich, medical director of Midland Fertility Services, said he would be "very scared" is he was in her position.
"Women who are pregnant with a high number of babies rarely have all the babies alive and normal," he said. "The chances are that this woman may miscarry or is likely to go into very early labour."
He warned there was a high risk of the babies being handicapped if the mother carried too many, or if they were born too soon.
"If I was the woman I would be very scared, as she will be under severe stress both physically and mentally," he said.
Dr Robert Sawers, consultant gynaecologist at the Priory and Birmingham Maternity Hospitals, said: "Sadly, it's extremely unlikely these eight will be born and survive.
"There were a number of instances in the early days but I am not aware of any of those octuplets surviving. The only advice I could give to a patient is that the number of foetuses should be reduced.
But Prof Scarisbrick advised caution: "There are all these surgeons sharpening their scalpels when all that needs to be done is let nature take its course. She will undoubtedly lose some of these embryos without resorting to the knife.
"If eight survived it would be unparalleled, but life is life. If she has many children she will be famous, a celebrity and they will be taken care of. Life is life and it is wonderful."
Mrs Susan Price, chief executive of infertility counselling charity Issue, said: "The irony is if this woman had heeded the doctor's advice, they would have altered the doses of the drugs she was receiving and she would still have had very good chances of conceiving either a single child or twins.