WOMEN have been urged to double check their fertility "before it's too late" amid a rise in the number of Scots couples who have problems conceiving.
Clinicians believe encouraging individuals to consider their “window of fertility” earlier could prevent people running into problems later in life and allow them to make a more informed decision about when to try and conceive.
One in seven couples have problems when they decide to have children, compared to one in 12 in the early 1990s. The rise is largely due to couples postponing the decision to start a family until later in life, but lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet and lack of exercise also reduce both men and women’s reproductive health.
Now a team of experts have launched an all-in-one reproductive services clinic in Glasgow. The Hope Clinic, based at Glasgow’s Nuffield hospital, will offer fertility assessments with counselling and IVF so that single people or couples can review their reproductive health years before they are even thinking about starting a family.
Helen Lyall, a consultant gynaecologist who oversees the largest fertility unit in Scotland working between the NHS at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Assisted Conception Service at the privately-run Nuffield hospital, said patients would benefit from having all their fertility services under one roof.
She added: “It’s about taking pre-emptive action. We’re not saying to women in their 20s ‘you must have a fertility check now’.
“But what’s wrong with having the option and getting the information to allow you to make the best possible choice? Women seem to be aware that fertility drops off after 35, however, what people don’t realise is that all women are different and a woman aged 43 could have a much higher ovarian reserve than a 24-year-old.”
Although the NHS provides three cycles of IVF to infertile couples, treatment only begins once a couple has already encountered difficulties. The team behind the Hope Clinic believes that by checking fertility earlier – a service not available on the NHS – at-risk individuals could eliminate the need for IVF later.
A full fertility assessment, costing £299, incorporates a blood test for women, ultrasound and ovarian reserve scan – estimating the quantity of eggs they have left – plus a semen analysis for the man, where there is a male partner. They will also complete health and lifestyle questionnaires and their medical and gynaecological history will be assessed.
The service is open to single women, couples, and same-sex partnerships.
Sarah Bannatyne, 24, decided to undergo fertility testing earlier this year after becoming anxious that yo-yo dieting during her teenage years could have reduced her fertility.
Ms Bannatyne, from Motherwell, said: “I come from a big family and I knew I definitely wanted to have children one day, but I had yo-yo dieted a lot when I was younger to the point where my periods stopped. I was worried it might have caused lasting damage.
“A lot of my friends are getting married and having babies now and I just found myself thinking about it more and more. My aunt told me about the Nuffield so I came along for an assessment and was relieved to get the all-clear. It’s just great peace of mind knowing that I can take my time – I don’t need to rush to have a baby now.”
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