Test tells women when it's too late to have a baby

A new blood test will tell women the precise age they will be when they cease to be fertile

A quick blood test can predict when a woman is unable to have children, according to new scientific research.

The simple test works by measuring levels of a hormone produced by the ovaries, and will be able to tell women as young as 20 when they will no longer be fertile.

The kit is predicted to go on sale within the next three years and will be popular with women trying to balance careers with starting a family.

It also means that women who go through menopause earlier than others can start trying for a family, or have their eggs frozen for a later date.

Menopause occurs on average at 51, but approximately 15% or women experience it under the age of 45.

In Britain alone, about 110,000 women in their thirties are going through early menopause at any given time.

Dr Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani, who led the research, says: ‘Our results suggest that the novel marker anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) could precisely forecast the age at menopause, even in young women.'

In the past, scientists have believed that changing levels of this hormone are linked to menopause, but there was insufficient data to back it up.

However, by gathering information from a large number of women, Tehrani is confident she has created a mathematical equation that will predict when a woman will go through ‘the change'.

In addition to detecting early menopause, the test - backed by the World Health Organisation - can spot an increased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

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