Third of couples have problems conceiving naturally

British couples are forking out £1.7billion on private fertility treatment to achieve their dream of parenthood, a study found.

The average infertile couple spends £4,872 on treatments ranging from IVF to alternative therapies.

Scroll down for more ...

Thirty-six per cent of infertile couples have at least three private sessions of IVF, costing up to £8,000 a time.

But only 47 per cent of women who have fertility treatment go on to have a baby.

The National Fertility Survey found that the average woman doesn't start trying for a baby until she turns 30.

However, 84 per cent of childless women in their early 30s fear they have left it too late for motherhood.

The poll, conducted for Red magazine by market researchers, comes in the wake of warnings that women who delay motherhood are "defying Nature" and risking the heartbreak of infertility.

The study found that cash-strapped NHS trusts fully fund less than a quarter of couples seeking fertility treatment - leaving 77 per cent to go private.

The researchers estimate that women currently between 30 and 45 will spend £1.7billion on private fertility treatments, including IVF, ovulation drugs, egg freezing and alternative therapies.

The survey, of 3,200 women with an average age of 37, found that fertility problems are more common than realised, with 35 per cent of couples struggling to conceive naturally. Previous studies put the figure at 14 per cent.

Nineteen per cent of women said their problems in becoming pregnant were due to their partner.

Reasons for female infertility included conditions affecting the womb and ovaries such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, and blocked fallopian tubes - a problem that can be caused by the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia.

Responses varied across the country with women in Scotland having the most problems trying to conceive.

Men in the North-West of England were most likely to have fertility problems, while women in London were most likely to have contemplated having a baby on their own.

Sam Baker, editor of Red, said: "Infertility is the issue of our age and incredibly we've entered the billion pound baby era.

"Whereas the big issue for women in the Eighties and Nineties was their career and role in the workplace, now infertility is another major concern.

"More and more couples have difficulty conceiving but the phenomenal cost of IVF and related fertility treatments - much of which is not available on the NHS - means it's becoming a preserve of the well-off.

"Couples on ordinary salaries are being priced out."

She added: "As a society, we need to find ways to enable women to start thinking about having children earlier without it derailing their careers."

IVF expert Geeta Nargund said it was likely the figure of 35 per cent of couples struggling to conceive was artificially high as the women questioned had not been given a firm definition of fertility problems.

Traditionally, doctors use the phrase to describe couples who are still childless after a year of trying to conceive.

Dr Nargund, who is head of reproductive medicine at St George's Hospital in London, said that for many women, pregnancy late in life wasn't a choice but something they were forced into because of their working or financial circumstances.

She added: "We need to increase NHS funding. This research is a wake-up call to society and to government because it suggests a very small proportion of couples are able to get treatment on the NHS."