London: A leading fertility expert has revealed that new drugs are being developed that would delay the menopause.

The UK’s Professor Robert Winston if Imperial College London who was speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival said that a protein had been discovered which if taken as an injection or pill could extend the life of eggs in the ovaries.

This development would give hope to the many women who find themselves childless in later life and comes at a time when doctors have seen a surge in women over the age of 40 seeking in vitro fertilisation treatments.

Professor Winston, professor of fertility studies at Imperial said scientifists believed they have identified a protein which could prolong egg life. This came at a time when women were healthier than ever before.

At the age of 16, said Professor Winston, a woman had 400,000 eggs – but by the age of 46 there will be virtually none left. He said women lost around two eggs an hour.