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Limits on the number of twins and triplets that can be born as a result of IVF treatment have been lifted, following warnings from fertility experts that they harmed some women’s chances of becoming pregnant.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) announced that IVF clinics will no longer have to ensure as a condition of their licence that multiple births account for only 10 per cent of their successful cases.

Multiple births are more risky and twins and triplets have a higher risk of disability. They can occur from IVF treatment when women are implanted with more than one embryo – a technique which improves their chances of becoming pregnant.

Last month the HFEA lost a High Court battle against two clinics which argued that the decision on how many embryos to implant should be taken on medical grounds and not based on a clinic’s concerns over breaching targets.

Mohamed Taranissi, medical director of the Assisted Gynaecology Centre, who led the legal challenge, said that patients who would benefit from having more than one embryo implanted – often older...