February 22, 2013
On Monday 25th February, Harley Street Fertility Clinic’s Dr Venkat appeared on the This Morning couch to help launch a week dedicated to fertility. The show featured on-air fertility tests, along with expert help and advice.
The programme aimed to emphasise the importance of fertility testing and to highlight what problems women might experience when trying to conceive. Did you know that female fertility starts to decline from as early as 27 years? With that in mind, it’s good to be proactive and have a fertility ‘MOT’ at regular intervals from the age of 25. This way, any problems can be caught and addressed early so there are no surprises when you are ready to start a family.
One of the tests conducted on the show, using female volunteers, was an Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) blood test. This is vital as it is a good indicator of the number of eggs left in the ovarian pool. If the result is lower than expected and the woman is not yet ready to start a family, her eggs can be frozen to ensure a supply is available when the time is right to have children.
Conducting an AMH blood test enables a woman to plan for the future. Other tests will demonstrate the functionality of the ovaries, but not the reserve, so it is a good idea to assess fertility from all angles to gain a clear picture of a woman’s fertility status.
The second test for This Morning volunteers was an Antral Follicle Count (AFC) scan, which visually assesses the ovarian reserve. This needs to be conducted at the beginning of a woman’s cycle as there will be more eggs visible within the ovaries. After this point, one will become more prominent and the others will fade and become masked. By combining the results of an AMH blood test and AFC scan, a good indication of ovarian reserve can be ascertained which will help fertility experts to evaluate how long a woman will have reproductive capabilities.
You can watch Dr Venkat in action by clicking on the following link: http://www.itv.com/thismorning/health/fertility-week-antral-follicle-outing/
To find out more about these tests or to book a fertility MOT, please call 020 7436 6838 or visit: www.hsfc.org.uk
