A pregnant Scottish mother of two young boys, Nicky Mason, has decided against using preimplantation genetic diagnosis to screen her third child, despite the risk that the child will develop a serious genetic disease. Mason’s two young sons suffer from cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition affecting the internal organs. The disease requires daily treatment, and sufferers face the added possibility of a lung transplant later in life.

Despite improvements in cystic fibrosis treatments, which have lengthened the life expectancy of sufferers, most will not live past 38.

Ms Mason is now seven months pregnant with a third child, who faces a one in four chance of inheriting the condition. She and her husband investigated embryo screening to avoid the birth of an unhealthy baby. After consulting with doctors, Nicky and her husband Steven decided to let nature take its course.

"People have said I'm selfish and that I'm taking a risk with my baby's life. It wasn't a religious thing, but the thought of our baby being in a test tube before being in my womb was something I didn't agree with. It all just seemed so unnatural.” She and her husband are willing to deal with the disease if the third child suffers from it. "We have coped with having two children with cystic fibrosis and if our third child also has the condition, we will cope with that too,” she says.  ~ (London) Sun 22 Apr