Fertility treatments are getting better – and more realistic | Rebecca Schiller

Developments such as ovarian tissue transplants and single embryo transfer are making motherhood a graspable reality, but services must be safe and accessible

I have been lucky. My children were created and were born with relative ease. Speaking to those who I know have struggled with infertility gives some small insight into the complex series of physical, emotional, financial and medical transactions that operate on a intensely heightened plane of reality.

For the one in six couples in the UK who struggle to conceive, the news of successful ovarian tissue transplants leading to pregnancy could bring new hope. A Danish study followed women who underwent the procedure after cancer treatment had reduced their fertility. The transplanting of frozen tissue was found to be safe and a third of women went on to become pregnant - half without the need for IVF. The procedure offers tangible results, not just for cancer patients but also for women who want to postpone motherhood until later in life. Equally heartening is the news that womb transplants are soon to take place in the UK as part of a clinical trial.

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