Four women and one man share the results of their lunch break fertility MOTs
Advances in fertility testing mean you can find out how fresh your eggs are in just one hour. But is it a good idea? Fabulous investigates…
WITH around one in seven couples now struggling to conceive* and 50,000 of us having IVF each year**, fertility MOTs are becoming increasingly popular on the baby-making scene.
And now the time-starved can even get a test done in their lunch hour.
The tests involve 3D ultrasound scans designed to check ovarian reserve (the quantity of eggs in the ovaries) and the health of reproductive organs, while men can get a sperm sample analysis.
Pioneered by Professor Geeta Nargund, medical director of Create fertility clinics, these tests – which cost £200 for women and £95 for men – provide expert fertility diagnosis within an hour.
“It’s important for us to find out about the state of our fertility as quickly as possible to give us the power to plan for our futures,” explains Geeta.
“We plan everything from careers to house moves – why would we not do the same for having a family? Getting the results fast means less delay in finding solutions if there is a problem.”
But what’s the reality? Are these tests a sensible thing to do, or a route to unnecessary anxiety?
Four willing guinea pigs, including our writer Lizzie Pook, find out.
‘I was naive and thought I’d be fine’
Rebecca Teiger, 39, is a freelance education adviser. She lives in Leeds with her husband Simon, 50, a freelance video producer, and his two teenage sons. She says:
“I was interested in having the MOT for purely practical reasons – I’m 39 and recently married.
My husband already has two teenage children and, as much as we’ve talked about it, we haven’t really decided if we are definitely going to try for a baby. We’re busy enough recovering from the wedding and trying to buy a house!
While I’m undecided about when to start trying, Simon’s attitude is that there’s no rush and we should just see what happens.
So perhaps naively, I wasn’t really worried going for the tests.
My mum Devra, 67, conceived easily in her 20s and it was the same for my sister Sara, 42, in her 30s, so I imagined everything was fine with me.
The test was a very thorough 40-minute internal ultrasound scan.
It sounds scary, but was really straightforward, and it was amazing seeing my reproductive organs on a monitor!
Once it was over, I waited just 20 minutes before the results were in and an hour after I’d walked through the clinic door, Professor Nargund told me that a scan of my ovaries suggested I had a very low ovarian count.
This was confirmed by the optional AMH blood test – which measures the strength of your ovarian reserve – that I’d taken a week earlier (it’s done in advance of the scan).
I was taken aback, especially when she said my egg count was around what you would expect of a woman in her mid-40s and that, while there’s no reason why I shouldn’t fall pregnant, we don’t have too long to think about it.
I left with Professor Nargund’s final words ringing in my ears: ‘If you want to have a baby, do not delay.’
It was quite overwhelming as I really hadn’t prepared for anything being wrong.
After the tests I was very teary and emotional, but had I not done the MOT, we could have assumed everything was OK and put off the decision until it was too late.
Instead, Simon and I started trying for a baby straightaway.
Although I conceived quickly, we sadly suffered a miscarriage at seven weeks.
However, we decided to try again and I’m over the moon to say I’m pregnant and due to give birth in March.
While it was a shock to get the news in such a speedy way, it worked out best for us.”
‘I discovered I wasn’t ovulating’
Lizzie Pook, 30, is a freelance journalist. She lives in Brixton, south London, with her boyfriend Rob, 31, a PR consultant. She says:
“I’m one of those people who’s always worried about being infertile as I’ve heard so many scare stories.
I’m also endlessly superstitious, and will always say: ‘If I’m lucky enough to have a baby,’ never ‘when’.
For me, there were also medical reasons behind wanting to have the MOT.
My twin sister Rose was recently diagnosed with endometriosis – a chronic condition that can cause heavy, painful periods and sometimes infertility.
And my mum Jean, 65, went through the menopause in her mid-40s, which is relatively young, plus there is a history of POF (premature ovarian failure, where you get a loss of ovary function at an earlier age than normal) in my family.
Most importantly though, after coming off the Pill six months ago, I haven’t had a period.
It was pretty nerve-wracking knowing that the results of the lunchtime test would be instantaneous.
But I was also grateful that, like pulling off a plaster, I didn’t have to wait for them – I would inevitably have been thinking about it 24/7 otherwise.
When I had my scan, the consultant showed me clusters of tightly packed follicles on my ovaries – more than 20 on each, an unusually large number compared to the normal six to 12.
There was also some scarring on one of my fallopian tubes, most likely caused by trauma, infection or endometriosis.
After the scan I was given a diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) – a hormonal disorder that affects how the ovaries work – and told I wasn’t currently ovulating.
I was shocked, but in the back of my mind I knew it made sense.
I’ve always found it difficult to lose weight and grew up with terrible acne and horrendous periods, all side effects of PCOS.
I started panicking that I would never get pregnant, but then my pragmatic nature kicked in and I thought: ‘If there’s a problem, I’m sure it can be solved.’
Thankfully, Rob took the news in his stride, too.
Later that night he hugged me and said: ‘Well, let’s see what happens when the time comes.’
I also know I have options.
PCOS can be influenced by lifestyle factors such as diet and stress, and if I did decide to try to become pregnant in a few years’ time there are
drugs, such as Clomid, available on the NHS that can help kick-start ovulation.
My ovarian reserve levels were very high for someone of my age, so it’s not all doom and gloom.
All the ingredients are there – it just might take a little bit of work to get the right results.”
‘Fertility is still a taboo subject’
Kejal Ashra, 29, is a brand PR manager. She lives in Streatham, south London, with her boyfriend Matt, 34, a doctor. She says:
“In traditional Indian culture, most women are expected to raise children at a young age – my mum’s family mostly had kids before the age of 25.
But because of commitments to my job and the fact I still feel relatively young, I can’t see myself having a family for several years.
However, my mum Geeta, 51, went through the menopause in her early 40s, so that’s always been in the back of my mind.
I just want to check I’m OK to carry on as I am.
Sitting in the waiting room before the scans, I started to feel nervous.
What if, even though the women in my family have had little problem conceiving, I’m infertile? What would that mean for me and my boyfriend?
I know he wants kids, so I began to worry about the consequences that might come with a negative result.
Was I really prepared for bad news?
After all, fertility isn’t a topic that’s really widely talked about.
Even though there are lots of stories in the news and information out there, it’s just not something I discuss with friends.
I think for many women, it’s a bit of a taboo subject because it’s so personal, which is silly as it’s such an important issue.
The good news is my MOT showed I’m as fertile as I can be at my age. Everything is ‘normal’ and ‘average’.
I have a functioning uterus and fallopian tubes, a decent ovarian reserve and my AMH blood test showed good levels, too.
I left the clinic feeling really reassured, but in some ways not that surprised.
But even though nothing has changed per se, it has given me a quiet confidence.
If everything goes according to plan, my boyfriend and I will happily start a family in a few years’ time.”
‘I wasn’t sure if chemo had left me infertile’
Andy Jackson, 31, is a patient experiences officer at blood cancer charity Bloodwise. He lives in Tooting, south London, with his wife Lauren, 29, and took the male fertility tests. He says:
“I was 18 when I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia.
The cancer – and some of its treatments, which included gruelling rounds of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a bone marrow transplant – had a huge effect on my fertility.
I was told that it was unlikely I’d be able to produce healthy sperm after the treatment, so I decided to have some frozen just in case.
Thankfully, I beat the disease and 13 years on, Lauren and I have agreed we’d like children.
I hoped having the test would let me know if we might be able to conceive naturally, or if we need to go down the IVF route with my frozen sperm.
The test involved me giving a sperm sample for analysis.
Men get the results 24 hour later, and I chose to get mine via email because it wasn’t practical for me to return to the clinic.
When the email arrived, it starkly informed me my fertility was low.
I hadn’t considered how cold it would feel to receive the info that way rather in person.
It also said that I had a condition called oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT).
I had so many questions, I ended up seeking further advice at Hammersmith Hospital, where my sperm was frozen.
A couple of weeks later, I took a second test and the diagnosis of OAT (which means my semen contains an abnormally low number of sperm and that their shape and motility is far below average, too) was confirmed.
It essentially means my chances of conceiving naturally are low, but it’s not completely impossible.
Even though I was prepared, it still came as a bit of a blow.
I knew about the risks chemo and radiotherapy posed to my fertility, but a small part of me hoped I might emerge with it still intact.
However, I have had a tiny bit of luck – the sperm I had frozen back in 2003 should have been destroyed after 10 years of no contact from me (something I wasn’t aware of), but fortunately they hadn’t got round to it!
So Lauren and I have already got the ball rolling with IVF and thankfully I have ample frozen sperm to use.
Our plan is to have as many cycles as we’re allowed (if we need them) on the NHS – any further treatments will cost us at least £5,000 a go. We’re optimistic, but we’ll see how we get on.”
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'I need to start trying for a baby in the next couple of years'
Nora Waghorne, 30, is a speech and language therapist from Clapham, south London. She is in a relationship. She says:
“I was broody for the majority my twenties, and even though I knew I wasn't in a position to have a baby back then, my fertility has always played on my mind because I'm adopted.
Knowing my adoptive mother chose me because she was unable to have biological children herself has brought things into sharp focus.
If it came to it, I'd happily adopt, but I do have a burning desire to have my own biological child if I can, maybe because I’ve lacked that blood connection with my own family for so long.
I am an adventurous person and would like to travel more before having children.
However, it feels like there are so many scary so-called ‘facts’ knocking around about fertility - such as, ‘90% of your eggs have died before you're 30’, or ‘the contraceptive pill causes infertility’ - which leave a niggling fear that I may have difficulty conceiving if I wait.
Thankfully the consultant I saw for the tests reassured me that there’s no harm in staying on the pill until I'm ready to try for a baby and the scan revealed that, biologically, everything was normal - which was a huge relief.
There was a slight query over the fact that one of my ovaries had 14 follicles in it (text books state that over 12 is technically polycystic) but I was told not to worry, as only one out of 20 people with polycystic ovaries have polycystic ovarian syndrome, which causes difficulties with ovulation.
The whole experience was definitely reassuring, but made me realise I don't have the luxury of too much time waiting around.
Given that I want to have two or three children, I probably need to start trying in the next couple of years, which is good to know.”
Sources: *NHS Choices **HFEA
Visit for more information. Andy blogs about his experience at .