A doctor has warned childless women not to take aspirin in an effort to avoid miscarriages without first having medical advice.

North Yorkshire couple Sandra and Nick Morgan last week celebrated the birth of a healthy baby boy, Finn, after 10 years of trying for a child.

Sandra had been pregnant twice before but each time miscarried. Doctors prescribed aspirin for her after new research suggested the drug could help prevent miscarriages in some cases because of its property of thinning the blood.

But the consultant obstetrician who treated Sandra warned women not to use the drug on their own.

Dr Fiona Bryce, of Northallerton's Friarage Hospital, said: "I'd like to emphasise that aspirin is an effective treatment but only in a small number of women."

Patients needed a blood test to help doctors judge if the treatment would be effective. Dr Bryce added: "Nobody should take aspirin without talking to their doctor and undergoing thorough tests.

"Women who ignore this advice could be running the risk of serious consequences." She said aspirin was not a panacea or a substitute for fertility drugs.

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