Woman pregnant after IVF sex choice

The Chenerys wanted daughters to add to their family

A mother who travelled to Spain in order to choose the sex of her next child is pregnant with twin girls.

Nicola Chenery, 33, from Plymouth, went to a clinic in Spain for the IVF treatment.

She went ahead with the treatment because she longed for a daughter after giving birth to four sons.

Such a treatment is outlawed in the UK unless the choice is made to protect the unborn child from sex-linked genetic disease.

I wanted baby girls, yes, but didn't not want the boys

Nicola Chenery

Mrs Chenery and her husband Mike spent £6,000 on the treatment.

She told GMTV that she was "over the moon" that the treatment had been successful.

Mrs Chenery, 34, said: "I have always wanted a daughter as far as I can remember.

"I have always wanted to experience the mother-daughter relationship, which is totally different to the mother-son relationship, and I feel as I can, then why not?"

She added: "It doesn't go away even though I have had four beautiful boys.

"The feeling does not go away and now I have achieved it."

Abortions

Mrs Chenery began her treatment in Britain before travelling to Spain earlier this year.

Embryos were created using IVF and then selected on the basis of gender for implantation.

She said the controversy over the treatment was "illogical".

"We already know that people do carry out abortions every single day up to 24 weeks gestation.

"How can we say that is OK to choose the gender of your child, which is perfectly fine in Britain up to 24 weeks gestation, but we can't have gender choice at the four to five-day stage.

"It is archaic and just illogical. I really don't understand it."

'Freedom of choice'

Mrs Chenery, 34, said she did not feel she was being "ungrateful" by trying to have a baby girl in addition to her four sons, who are aged between three and 11.

She said: "I am very lucky to have four healthy boys. I am the first to say that.

"But does it mean I can't have any more children because somebody else can't? Should I not take my children on holidays because somebody else can't?

"The British public practise freedom of choice, so that is the way it is."

She said her four young sons did not feel unwanted because of her desire for daughters.

"They know I absolutely love them unconditionally - wouldn't change anything for the world.

"They are well aware of that with our relationship, so I didn't have to really approach it and explain to them they are wanted, because it was never an issue. I wanted baby girls, yes, but didn't not want the boys."