‘WE HAD A FERTILITY MOT’

Last month, leading fertility expert Professor Bill Ledger accused women of "sticking their heads in the sand" about their fertility by delaying motherhood to focus on their careers. He advised all would-be mums to take an MOT test at 30 to see how much time they had left.

We sent eight women, aged between 22-42, to check just how much time remained for them to have a baby. They had ovarian reserve testing - a blood test that checks the number of healthy eggs left in the ovaries - to see how much of a difference age can make to a woman's fertility.

'I'M DEVASTATED - I'VE LEFT IT TOO LATE'

Sera Dinmore, 36, a dancer from Stevenage, is married to driving instructor Chris Lowe, 33.
Fertility: Low

Sera says: "I'd always planned to focus on my career until I was 40, then dedicate my life to raising a family. Chris was behind me 100 per cent, and neither of us thought it would be a problem.

I knew I could conceive because I fell pregnant at the age of 25. But doctors discovered I had an irregular heartbeat - it was slower than normal. It turned out my baby might not survive, and I could die too.

I was told I needed a termination. It was hideous, but I had no choice.

Now, my heart rate is normal and I'm really fit from dancing, so I assumed that we'd have a family. I was devastated at the test results, and so was Chris.

My GP has sent me for another hormone test to see if I'm near the menopause, so I know how much time I have to try to conceive naturally. Hopefully then I can make some informed decisions. But at the moment I don't know what to think as it's not really sunk in."

Dr Eric Asher of London's Third Space clinic says: "Sera has a low number of eggs, which is unusual for a woman of her age. It could be very difficult for her to conceive, as there may not be an egg to be fertilised every month. She should try to conceive naturally for no longer than a year. After that, she should take advice on using donor eggs or harvesting some of her own eggs for IVF."

'NEXT YEAR IS FIND-A-HUSBAND YEAR'

Rachael Drewitt, 38, a business development coordinator from St Albans, is single.
Fertility:High

Rachael says: "When I hit 35, I started to panic about my fertility. I hadn't met Mr Right and was convinced my egg levels were plummeting and I would never have a child of my own.

I even thought about freezing my eggs, but then I decided I'd rather do things the natural way or not at all.

I'd love to become a mum but I think it would be selfish of me to run to the sperm bank and have a child alone. I had the test done because I want to know how long I have left to conceive. My mother had twins at 40 and I hope I'll stay fertile for a few more years.

The fact I have a good number of eggs left is a relief. But I'm definitely going to try to speed things up in terms of looking for Mr Right!

I'm so glad I had the test - I feel empowered knowing where I stand with my fertility."

Mr Rami Atalla at Hertfordshire's Spire Harpenden Hospital says: "Rachel has an excellent ovarian reserve with plenty of eggs. She has a good chance of conceiving naturally."

'I HAVEN'T HAD A PERIOD FOR TWO YEARS'

Sophie Hurford, 22, is a ski instructor from Peterborough. She's single.
Fertility rating:High

Sophie says: "Although I'm young, I've been really worried about whether I'm ever going to be a mum. I stopped taking the Pill two years ago after a long-term relationship ended and I haven't had a period since then.

It's something I've found very upsetting, but my friends don't really understand. They're doing their best not to get pregnant, while I'm freaking out over whether I'll be able to! Luckily, my mum has been really supportive and has encouraged me to do everything I can to find out what's wrong.

I've been to my doctor several times and last month blood tests revealed I'm not actually ovulating.

My GP said that as I'm young and fit, my periods will start again naturally. But I'm still worried.

Although I'm happy I have lots of healthy eggs, I'm also frustrated because I still don't know why I'm not having periods.

The fertility doctor recommended having more tests to find out why I'm not releasing any eggs. He also suggested I try complimentary medicine like acupuncture or a fertility drug to try to help restart ovulation, so I'll follow this up with my own doctor."

Dr Eric Asher says: "Although Sophie has a high number of eggs, she isn't ovulating for some reason. She needs to take further steps, such as an ultrasound, to find out why."

'I'M STILL DETERMINED TO BE A MUM'

Charlotte Lundqvist, 42, an interior designer from Chelsea, London, is single.
Fertility: Low

She says: "In the past couple of weeks I've split from my boyfriend of two years. He was older than me and had two children from a previous relationship. He felt that part of his life was done, whereas having a child is something I'd really like to do - and now I finally feel ready to be a mother.

Before him, I'd never met any guy I could see myself having children with, although I did fall pregnant accidentally when I was 36. My then-boyfriend and I were totally incompatible, but we decided to keep the baby and try to make things work between us. However, at 10 weeks I was told the pregnancy wasn't developing properly so I had to have a termination. But at least I knew I could get pregnant.

That was six years ago. I took the test because I wanted to know how much time I had left to try for a baby. If I could still conceive at my age I would be able to decide whether I should look for another relationship with a man who wanted children or think about a sperm donor instead.

But I'd prepared myself for the worst and I'm glad I know now that it's unlikely I'll have a baby naturally.

If I want to be a mum, I'll have to do something about it now. I can't put it off any longer and egg donation may be something I have to consider."

Rami Atalla says: "I would expect a low level of eggs in a woman of this age. There's nothing wrong with Charlotte, it's simply because of her age. If she wants to conceive, egg donation would be the best option because it would be very difficult to harvest some of her remaining eggs."

'WE CAN WAIT A BIT LONGER'

Julia Cross, 31, works in PR and lives in London with her boyfriend of four years, Nathan, 32.
Fertility: High

Julia says: "My periods have always been irregular and when I was 25, they stopped completely. My GP sent me for a pelvic ultrasound scan, which showed that although I had ovarian cysts, they were unlikely to affect my fertility.

My periods started again in 2005 - around the same time Nathan and I got together. Like me, he wants children, but neither of us feel ready just yet. However, with my history, and the fact my mum tried for 10 years before having me at 42, I was a bit worried about how much longer we should leave it.

Now I feel really reassured, and so does Nathan. I don't think I'll risk waiting until after I'm 35, but it's nice to know we've still got a couple of years together to do the things we want before we start trying for a family."

Dr Yehudi Gordon of London's Viveka Clinic says: "Lots of eggs is a good sign, but it's no guarantee. I know Julia wants to wait, but I'd advise her to start trying sooner rather than later, just in case."

'IT'S PUT MY MIND AT REST'

Olivia Hoban, 26, a teacher from Islington, north London, is single.
Fertility rating:High
Olivia says: "At the moment, I'm really happy being single.

I don't feel ready to settle down and have children, but I definitely want to be a mum one day. I come from a big family - I have three sisters and a brother - and I love working with children in my job.

I took the test because although I would rather wait until I was about 32 before having kids, I keep reading about women who have waited until their 30s and then discovered they have fertility problems and have left it too late. I don't want that to happen to me. I want to know it's OK for me to wait without risking my chances of having a baby.

I feel really reassured that everything is fine with my fertility and I'm confident with my plans to wait a few years before starting a family. I hadn't been particularly worried about the test results but I'm so glad I had it done. It's really put my mind at rest."

Mr Atalla says: "These results are excellent and perfectly normal for a girl of this age. If Olivia wants to wait a few years to have children, I see no problem with that."

'I'M SO FERTILE, WE'LL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL'

Gemma Sharp, 24 is a PR Consultant from Ruislip, west London. She's been dating Mark, 25, who works for the police, for four years.
Fertility rating:High
Gemma says: "Not being able to conceive is my biggest fear. There's no reason behind it as most of the women in my family are very fertile - my mum got pregnant with me on honeymoon. But I know that if I couldn't have children I would be absolutely distraught. It's the one thing I couldn't live without.

Mark and I have discussed kids and we both agree we're not ready to have them yet, but hope to start trying once we're married - which will hopefully be in the next three years. Even so, I really wanted to have the test to put my mind at ease.

The night before, Mark and I went through all the what-ifs. He said we would work it out together if there were any problems. We even talked about whether we'd want to adopt, something we'd never spoken about before. So that made me feel a lot better, but I was still really nervous on the day. I almost didn't go through with it and had to force myself to sit down in the waiting room.

Thankfully my results were all good - I felt so relieved and called Mark immediately to tell him. Now we feel much better about sticking to our plan to wait until I'm 28.

I came off the Pill last year after 10 years and switched to condoms instead to give my body a break - however, knowing how fertile I am now, I think we'll have to be extra careful!"

Dr Eric Asher says: "Gemma is a healthy young woman with a good reserve of eggs and good ovarian function - exactly what I would expect to see in someone of this age."

'I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'LL DO'

Jasmine Labana, 44, works in marketing and is from Ealing, west London. She's been in a relationship for four months.
Fertility rating:Low
Jasmine says: "Although I'm 44, I've always been very healthy - I don't drink or smoke and have a very active lifestyle so I thought that would mean I would hopefully still be able to conceive.

Of course my age worries me slightly, but when I was 38 I was married and became pregnant.

It wasn't planned as we hadn't really thought about having children, but I was still upset when I miscarried at just under three months as I was slowly warming up to the idea of children.

I split from my husband two years later and put the idea of having children to the back of my mind.

I only started to think about it again recently when I noticed so many people around me having families and, all of a sudden, I wanted that too.

Having seen my results and knowing my chances are so slim has made me want a child now more than ever, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

I need to talk to my partner and stop using contraception immediately as I still feel there is a glimmer of hope I could conceive. I wouldn't consider IVF, I can't afford it, but I would like to look more seriously into adoption now.

I'd always thought that if the chances were low I'd be disappointed, but not devastated. However, seeing my results in black and white, I'm much sadder than I thought.

I've realised that no matter how healthy your lifestyle is, age does play a big role in your fertility."

Dr Asher says: "The chances of a woman with these results getting pregnant naturally is so low, it's virtually nil. Jasmine will need help to conceive, probably in the form of egg donation as the eggs she does have left may not be of great quality and could result in a baby with congenital abnormalities."

FERTILITY: THE FACTS AND FICTION

You're born with the total number of eggs you'll have throughout your lifetime
FACT: Most women have around two million eggs. They age with you and are never replaced.

Caffeine affects your fertility
FACT: Women who regularly drink several cups of coffee a day can find it three times as difficult to conceive as those who don't.

Fertility declines sharply at 35
FACT: It tails off slowly in your early 30s. After 39, it virtually halves each year.

When you come off the Pill, it takes months for your body to readjust
FICTION: It depends on what Pill you're taking, but if you stop, you'll start ovulating again. Around 10 per cent won't ovulate immediately.

If your mother had fertility problems, you will too
FICTION: There is no proven link to show you'll inherit the same problems. However, PCOS and endometriosis may be hereditary.

A HELPING HAND

If you've been trying to get pregnant without success for a year, the first step is to see your GP, who can refer you and your partner for tests.

For advice about fertility problems, visit Infertilitynetworkuk.com.

For support with polycystic ovary syndrome, go to Verity-pcos.org.uk.

If you suffer from endometriosis, visit Endometriosis-uk.org.

For information on egg donation, visit Hfea.gov.uk.

An ovarian reserve test costs around £90 at private health clinics, or ask your GP for more information.

WORDS: CLAIE WILSON, EIMEAR O'HAGAN PHOTOGRAPHY: LANCTON, PHOTOLIBRARY.COM THE THIRD SPACE (THETHIRDSPACE.COM), SPIRE HARPENDEN HOSPITAL (SPIREHEALTHCARE.COM), VIVEKA CLINIC (VIVEKA.CO.UK)