"Two is enough," Egypt tells poor families as population booms

An Egyptian family prepares a cabbage meal for lunch in the province of Fayoum, southwest of Cairo, Egypt February 19, 2019. Picture taken February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Hayam Adel

SOHAG, Egypt (Reuters) - Nesma Ghanem is hoping for a fourth child even though her doctor says her body can't handle a pregnancy at the moment. She has three daughters and would like them to have a brother.

"In the future he could support his father and the girls," said Ghanem, 27, who lives in a village in Sohag, an area with one of Egypt's highest fertility rates.