Consultant gynaecologist, Professor Geeta Nargund, who is a lead consultant for reproductive medicine at St George's Hospital, London, has warned that women should attempt for a baby before the age of 30, if they hope to get pregnant.
Geeta Nargund called on the government to include fertility lessons in the national curriculum. She said educating people about fertility was "very important for the public purse because it will help us to get more babies within the same NHS budget".
She wrote a letter to the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, stating how teaching young women about the dangers of delaying motherhood would, "empower people to take control of their fertility".
She also stated that, "Educated women are not necessarily educated about their fertility."
In the letter, Prof Nargund also warned that fertility issues were placing a "costly and largely unnecessary burden on the NHS" as increasing numbers of women in their 30s and 40s sought IVF treatment. She wrote, "I have witnessed all too often the shock and agony on the faces of women who realise they have left it too late to start a family. For so many, this news comes as a genuine surprise and the sense of devastation and regret can be overwhelming."
She further added, "Information is power and the best way to empower people to take control of their fertility is through education. Ideally, if a woman is ready for a child, she should start trying by the time she is 30. She should consider having a child early because as a woman gets older, her fertility declines sharply."
Prof Nargund also said that many young people were not rightly informed about the impact of age on fertility and were unaware about the impact of smoking, too much alcohol or taking drugs.
