Could You Have Longer Left On Your Biological Clock Than You Think?
A leading fertility expert claims women could still be fertile up until their mid 40s [Photo: Rex Features]
Another day, another headline warning women to watch out for their biological clock. It’s little wonder so many of us are getting the fertility fear. But Britain’s leading fertility expert believes the worries about conceiving after the golden age of 35 aren’t as grave as we might have been lead to think.
Despite the NHS and various other experts advising that women’s fertility steeply declines after 35, Lord Robert Winston believes women remain fertile until they are 45 and are wrongly being pushed into early IVF by some private clinics.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain earlier this week, Lord Winston, who heads the Genesis Research Trust in London claimed women are actually able to get pregnant until their mid-40s and some private fertility clinics could be misleading couples about this for financial gain.
“Actually even at the age of 40 your chances of getting pregnant spontaneously are pretty good if you keep trying, and it’s really not until you’re 45 there is a really sharp turn off,” he told presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid.
But though women should be aware of the effect ageing could have on their ability to conceive, Lord Winston thinks the reality might not be as severe as some private clinics would have couples believe.
“I think there is a bit of a conflict of interests between the private clinics that are trying to persuade people to have treatment early and the reality,” he said.
Adding that IVF shouldn’t be seen as a guaranteed fertility fix.
“IVF is not a very successful treatment in spite of what all the clinics tell people,” he said. “A large proportion of cycles don’t work and it’s very expensive.”
Lord Winston was appearing on Good Morning Britain [Photo: Rex Features]
This isn’t the first time Lord Winston has spoken out about his concerns about private fertility clinics. Last year he blasted the IVF industry for “exploiting” desperate couples trying to conceive.
He claimed they are charging up to 10 times too much and are often never told of cheaper alternatives, which may in fact have an equal or even greater level of success.
“People are led to believe IVF is the only and most successful treatment,” he said.
“Utterly wrong. Complain of infertility and chances are you’ll be referred to an IVF clinic, where there may be no proper attempt at diagnosis.
“Patients’ desperation and some practitioners’ avarice is steadily raising prices.”
Lord Winston believes IVF isn’t always the cheapest or most successful option [Photo: Rex Features]
The news is in stark contrast to the claim by another leading fertility expert, Professor Adam Balen, chairman of the British Fertility Society and professor of reproductive medicine at Leeds University, that nine-year-old girls should be taught in school about their fertility window.
What do you think of Lord Winston’s comments? Let us know @YahooStyleUK
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