Doctors have told a British couple expecting Siamese twins that twin one must die if the other is to have a chance of living.
Ms Tina May (23) discovered in November she was carrying twin girls joined at the abdomen and sharing one heart and liver, it was reported in the British press today.
Tina and the twins' father, Mr Dennis Smith, decided against an abortion and named the girls Natasha and Courtney, knowing they faced a tragic separation after the birth.
A cardiac specialist told the parents the single heart is further inside Natasha, meaning she is keeping her unborn sister alive and could survive an operation to separate them.
"We were told the chances of the stronger girl surviving were still very slim but at least there was some hope," Mr May said. The twins will be born by Caesarean section in April at the 37th week of her pregnancy.
They will be transferred to London's Great Ormond Street children's hospital, where they will remain for a month before they are strong enough for the operation to divide them.
PA