Could Pill Really Delay Menopause? (June 11, 2007)

Fertility experts claim to have identified a protein which could be harnessed to delay the menopause.

The discovery raises hopes that drugs could be developed which will allow women to wait longer to have a child.

Professor Robert Winston, of Imperial College in London, told a conference that researchers had found a protein which they believe could be developed into a pill or an injection to prolong the life of women's eggs.

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Last week it was disclosed that the number of women aged 40 and over having fertility treatment had increased ten-fold in the past 15 years.

However, success rates were almost unchanged and fertility doctors warned women that their chances of having a baby were lower and the risks of complications far greater.

Lord Winston said the period before the menopause could be extended "without risk".