ABSTRACT
Denial of fertility treatment because of problems with a couple’s health (usually the woman’s) or because of unhealthy habits such as smoking is a contentious issue. The debate concerns the reduced success of fertility treatments in couples with health problems and the increased risks during pregnancy and to the subsequent health of the newborn child. Although the welfare of the child is of paramount importance, it is often argued by those seeking fertility treatment that fertile women with health problems similar to their own are neither forbidden from conceiving nor advised to terminate their pregnancy when they do conceive, although there is a strong move towards improving pre-pregnancy advice to women who conceive naturally [1].
