The general desire or non-desire of women for a child can be summed up in three categories. Firstly, the desire for a child, when not naturally fulfilled (celibacy or widowhood, sterility, inadequate fertility in the face of infant mortality), can induce the woman to try various means, ranging from prayer and the invocation of wonder-working saints, to sulleptic drugs, to astrological or magical practices. Secondly, the non-desire for a child, whatever its motivation, manifests itself mainly in the use of various means of contraception. Thirdly, the rejection of an unwanted or dangerous pregnancy leads to the use of procedures of abortion.Through hagiographical, medical, astrological, juridical and canonical sources, this study tries to assess the value of procreation in the Byzantine mentality in general, the attitude of the Byzantine woman in these various situations and finally, the differences in the perception of women's behaviour within Byzantine society, in particular that of the physician, the judge, and the Church.
