By Dr César Diaz

At last, Labour MP Alice Macdonald has called for a legal right to paid leave for fertility care, a common-sense step that acknowledges the emotional, physical and financial toll of trying to conceive.

Around 3.5 million people in the UK experience infertility, yet despite growing awareness, conversations about reproductive health remain too often awkward, whispered or ignored in the workplace. Many women are forced to use annual leave or sick days to hide their fertility treatment from employers, jeopardising their chances of success.

The reality is fertility treatment is a delicate balance of science, timing and biology. Every injection, scan and procedure is synchronised to the body’s precise reproductive rhythm. So, when timing is off, success rates can drop dramatically.

A woman’s egg is viable for only about 12-24 hours after ovulation, with sperm surviving for just a few days in the reproductive tract. Egg retrieval for IVF must therefore be perfectly timed to coincide with ovulation to maximise the chance of fertilisation.

Doctors closely monitor hormone levels such as oestrogen to determine the exact moment the eggs are mature enough for retrieval or insemination. A single mistimed injection or delayed appointment can mean missing the optimal window entirely.

Retrieving eggs too early may yield immature, nonviable eggs, and retrieving them too late risks spontaneous ovulation, losing........

© LBC