AudreyWinter: As I gathered, Geralt was a perfectly mormal boy, but another witcher helped his father. As payment he wanted to have "that which you find upon returning home and don't expect". What the father didn't expect was that while he was away, his wife had bore a son. Some years later, the witcher came to his home and took little Geralt with him to become a witcher.

vAddicatedGamer: Which book/story is that? I have been reading in a random order, and in "Something More" he said that he was not a Child Surprise.

AudreyWinter: But if Avallach is supposed to be Avalon: in the legend of King Arthur, this is where you go after death. Not bandaged and patched up, though.

Aver: There is even story inspired by Call of Cthulhu.

AudreyWinter: So not ALL sorceresses are sterile, huh?

Germanicanus: @Xohan:
Dryads are not humans. I don't think druids and mages use magic on the same level. Though we hardly meet any druids in the novels (and those who we meet tell us absolutely nothing about their abilities), one of the most powerful mages happen to be taught by druids - and ridiculed it to a great extent. In the canon druids can use only elemental magic, and despite having a much longer life-span than humans, do not posses as vast amount of skills as typical mage. Elven Blood is, as the name suggests, elven, so it has nothing to do with human mages. Francesca Findabair, one of the few Elven Sorceresses from the books, said she is unable to bear a child due to her old age (more than hundred years old), so she wasn't infertile.

Nenneke, the healer and priestess of Melitele, said Yennefer is infertile because of irreversible damage of gonads. It's fair to conclude that some human sorceresses cannot use magic without making themselves infertile. However, those who can, produce a very weak, mentally ill offspring. Since an unstable source cannot control magic, they are dangerous to the others and have to be eliminated. This is why Tissaia de Vries decided to make all sorceresses sterile. There is no hint, no suggestion or even not a single word about "beauty treatments" being responsible for it.

P.S. I don't think we can call Calanthe or Pavetta a sorceress before defining this term. If it means a woman capable of using magic, every female druid, witch or priestess are automatically sorceresses. In my opinion, it's better to assume a sorceress is a female competent and educated in the use of magic, in either one of magic academies like Aretuza, or by other mage. In the books a druid or priest is never called a mage.

jjavier: I had originaly read this in spanish (my native language) and have it half translated when I realize that "Blood of Elves" is alredy avaible in inglish.

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No one is born a wizard. We still know too little about genetics and the mechanisms of heredity. We sacrifice too little time and means on research. Unfortunately, we constantly try to pass on inherited magical abilities in, so to say, a natural way. Results of these pseudo-experiments can be seen all too often in town gutters and within temple walls. We see too many of them, and too frequently come across morons and women in catatonic state, dribbling seers who soil themselves, seeresses, village oracles and miracle-workers, cretins whose minds are degenerate due to the inherited, uncontrolled Force.

These morons and cretins can also have offspring, can pass on abilities and this degenerate further. Is anyone in a position to foresee or describe how the last link in such a chain will look?

Most of us wizards lose the ability to procreate due to somatic changes and dysfunction of the pituitary gland. Some wizards — usually women — attune to magic while still maintaining efficiency of the gonads. They can conceive and give birth — and have the audacity to consider this happiness and a blessing. But I repeat: no one is born a wizard. And no one should be born one! Conscious of the gravity of what I write, I answer the question posed at the Congress in Cidaris. I ask most emphatically: each one of us must decide what she wants to be — a wizard or a mother.

I demand all apprentices be sterilised. Without exception.

Tissaia de Vries .The Poisoned Source.

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Another thing I like to add is that Francesca Findabair has Yennefer's matrix (hers uterus) and that is another reason why Yeenefer is steril.
From "Bautism of Fire":

[TEASER/SPOILER]


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-- Francesca has Yennefer captive and ask her a loyalty confirmation towards de lodge --

Francesca:
- I want let you know, my dear. All the stationary portals at Montecalvo are blocked. Anybody who tries to get in or get out with out Filippas permission will land in a dungeon with dwimerit covered walls. You will not able to open your own tele-port without the components. I don't want to take away your star beacouse you have to be in complete domain of your mind, but if you try something crazy ... Yennefer, I can't allow it ... The lodge couldn't allow you fly alone and crazy to save Ciri and seek for revenge. I still have your matrix, I have the algorithm of the spell. I will reduce you and pack you again as a jade statue. For months if it is needed. Or years.
Yennerfer:
- Thank you for the warning. But but even that way I will not give you my word.

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I hope this clarifies a little the subject of mages sterility.