A leading fertility expert has warned that the number of couples in Europe having trouble conceiving could rise from one in seven to one in three over the next decade.
Professor Bill Ledger of Sheffield University said three factors in particular were behind this phenomenon: the fact that women were choosing to try and have children later; greater incidences of obesity; and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

One of the latter diseases, chlamydia, has seen cases double over the past decade. Six per cent of girls under the age of 19 are currently considered obese. Professor Ledger commented that, ‘many women who are overweight will not ovulate as efficiently.’

Another potential reason for greater infertility is that male sperm appears to be reducing in quality and quantity.

Professor Ledger warned that this decline in fertility could put ‘the sustainability of the European population at risk’, advising women to consider having children before the age of 35 when they are more fertile.

The NHS would be unlikely to fund infertility treatments so private healthcare providers could benefit from increased demand for such elective procedures. 1.4 million women are artificially inseminated worldwide each year. And in the US, six million, or ten per cent, of couples of childbearing age are infertile and spend $2 billion annually on treatments.

AIM-quoted Angle has invested in a technology that can test quickly and without invasive techniques for the viability of embryos following IVF treatment. Healthcare Enterprise has acquired several businesses involved in similar techniques. One allows the cervix to be dilated more easily for examinations and another allows sperm to be released more effectively during artificial insemination procedures.

Several other smaller listed concerns are addressing the STI market, including Sexual Health and Henderson Morley, which is developing herpes therapies.