A GYNAECOLOGIST has urged women to take a fertility test while they are in their twenties.

The anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) test indicates how many eggs a woman is carrying and how responsive to IVF treatment she would be.

Dr Luciano Nardo, consultant gynaecologist and clinical director at Daresbury-based Reproductive Health Group, believes that the test could help women to conceive in the future.

He said: "More and more women in the UK are delaying having children until later life, often for career or relationship reasons.

"As a woman ages her reserves of eggs gradually diminishes, declining from the age of 30 and dropping steeply after 35.

"The AMH, known as the egg timer test, allows a woman to learn exactly how likely she is to conceive.

"I'd like to see increased awareness of the AMH test because, for me, it's about empowerment and encouraging women to examine their fertility health at a younger age.

"I'd advise that all women who are delaying parenthood until later in life should take the AMH test before they turn 30 before the quality of their eggs start to decline.

"It'll give an indication of how likely you are to conceive before you even start trying for a baby and if you haven't had any success within a few months then the AMH can signal potential problems so that you can address them directly."