WOMEN are to be prevented from having twins through IVF because such children have higher rates of disabilities than single offspring.

A government regulator is expected to rule next month that most women will be allowed only one embryo implant during infertility treatment to cut the chance of two babies.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) says the policy will reduce the health risks to mothers and babies and cut costs to NHS neonatal units.

But infertile couples fear the move could endanger their chances of becoming parents. Some women say it is up to them if they wish to risk complications in pregnancy.

At present two embryos are normally implanted. This boosts the chance of pregnancy but has also led to 40% of babies born after IVF in Britain being twins. For babies conceived naturally there is only a one in 80 chance of twins.

Twins are four times more likely to suffer from cerebral palsy; five times more likely to be put on a ventilator after birth; and more than twice as likely to need admission to a neonatal intensive care unit.

Shirley Harrison, the HFEA chairman, said: “All indicators for the health of the baby are worse for twins. Mothers, too, are more likely to have dangerous complications.”

The new policy will apply to IVF treatment on the NHS and from private clinics.

One woman wrote on an infertility chatboard: “If I am prepared to take the risks of a multiple birth, who is the HFEA to act like God and tell me I can’t.”

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