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When in her mother’s womb, a baby has about 5-7 million eggs by the fifth month of pregnancy. After this time, the number of eggs begin to decrease. Such that by the time of birth she only has 2 million eggs left in the ovaries.

For me the hardest thing about having IVF as a single woman was making the decision to contact the fertility clinic - BCRM to ask about the IVF process. I should never have worried, as every member of the BCRM team was helpful, caring and completely non-judgmental.

Dr Valentine Akande and Paul Wilson will lead the transition of North Bristol NHS Trust’s Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine – BCRM into a private Fertility Service and IVF Clinic as from 1 March 2018.

Having worked in the field of gynaecology for the past 13 years I knew from an early stage that I was destined for a career in the fertility field.

A research study published in the BMJ and also the subject of a recent BBC Panorama programme claims that some of the add-on treatments offered to Fertility patients are of no benefit, can be harmful and expensive.

I decided on a career as a doctor very early. Probably aged 5 whilst trying to intubate my sister with a snorkel on holiday! At medical school, I was interested in women’s health from the start and particularly, the amazing anatomical and physical changes that occur during pregnancy. As a postgraduate, I chose to train in the field of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The term ovulation implies release of an egg from the egg sac (follicle) of the ovary. This usually occurs mid-cycle i.e. day 14 of a 28 day cycle, but the day of ovulation can vary from month to month. Generally, women who have regular periods are ovulating, however, this becomes more dysfunctional and irregular as a woman gets older.

This would vary depending on individual circumstances. Generally if a couple has been trying to conceive for more than a year it is likely that there is a problem contributing to their difficulties, nevertheless, 50% of couples who haven’t conceived after one year will conceive if they wait another year. It is for this reason, that the UK’s National Institute for clinical excellence (NICE) recommends waiting 2 years before undergoing treatment for fertility problems.