Think twice about IVF – having twins or multiple births can seriously affect the health of your babies

A quarter of IVF babies are twins or triplets and multiple births are nearly 20 times higher as a result of assisted conception than when it happens spontaneously, say UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy.

However babies who share a womb with siblings (be it twins or triplets) are far more likely to be born prematurely - and this brings with it a series of risks.

Twins are seven times more likely to die in the first few weeks of life than their singleton counterparts, and are six times more likely to develop cerebral palsy.

Care for babies born with disability or who develop them later on can pose a serious financial and emotional strain on parents, not to mention the cost of IVF treatment which can cost between £4,000-£8,000 per cycle.

Improving you nutritional status can help to improve your chances of conception and there is research to prove it, say UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown. Just one example is a study at the University of Surrey consisting of several hundred would-be parents with a history of fertility problems. They were put on tailor-made holistic pre-conceptual care programmes focussing principally on diet, vitamin and mineral supplementation and avoidance of environmental toxins. A stunning 81% of those who took part went on to produce healthy babies. This make the holistic approach 2 ½ times more effective than IVF!

To find out more, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your fertility and chances of becoming pregnant naturally, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.