What Every Woman Should Know About Their Fertility

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Your heart can tell you a lot about your health. Apple Watch Series 12 measures your heart rate every five seconds with the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable. So your vitals app, now with heart rate variability, can tell you when something is off. And your readiness score can let you know when to rest and when to push. Hear the story in every heartbeat with Apple Watch Series 12

The features described are for wellness purposes only and not for medical use. iPhone 11 are later required based on Apple conducted study of heart rate accuracy August 2026 Visit apple.com/applewatchseries12.

SPEAKER_2 (0:30)

At REI Co-op, we don't just sell outdoor gifts. We use them, test them, trust them. So we know what to give this season. For joy rides, campfire cheers, and peak views.

We know what to give the people you love who love to get out there. Because we're out there too.

Just stop in and ask a green vest, like me. For the best gifts out there, shop in store or at rei.com.

Dr Faye Bate (1:00)

If you're in your 20s or 30s and don't know when fertility starts to decline, you're in the right place. Women are expected to make huge decisions about contraception and pregnancy with surprisingly little and often conflicting information.

Dr Pavan Minhas (1:14)

Male fertility accounts for up to 50% of cases of infertility in couples.

Dr Faye Bate (1:19)

So today, I'm sitting down with Dr Pavan Minhas, consulting obstetrician and gynaecologist to answer the questions women are left googling from PMOS and endometriosis to contraception and fertility. By the end of this episode, you'll never need to watch another fertility video again. Dr Pavan, we are going to come on to admiosis, endometriosis, fertility, all that wonderful stuff. But first, for all the guests, I love to hear a little bit about their background, how they ended up where they are, because a lot of our audience are ambitious young women. So hearing about your career journey is very interesting. You're a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology.

You started a seven-year training program. But what's interesting about your journey is, I believe it took you 12 years. And for those of you who aren't familiar with the medical training pathway, that's 12 years after five years of medical school and two years training after medical school. So seven quick maths, 19 years.

Dr Pavan Minhas (2:20)

Yeah. And then I had another year after my F2, where I didn't actually get my training number in obstetrics and gynaecology. So I spent that year just trying to improve my CV and doing locums and things like that. So that's an extra year. It's taken forever.

Dr Faye Bate (2:34)

And what would you say to any young woman listening right now, whether she wants to pursue obstetrics and gynaecology or another career pathway that maybe takes a long time? What would be your advice if they feel daunted by that timeline?

Dr Pavan Minhas (2:49)

You know, it is really daunting. Even when I thought about a seven year training program, that was really daunting for me. I remember thinking, I'm going to be 34 by the time I finish my obstetrics and gynaecology training and become a consultant. And I just turned 40 a few days ago. So actually I was 39 when I finished my training. So it has taken a lot longer. But I think that if you have a passion for something, then the years do genuinely fly by.

And my path was my path by choice, in many ways. For me, having my children during my training was really important. Working less than full time and having that time with my children was really important. And then at some stage towards the end of my training, I was at a point where either I do two years full time and get it done, or that's going to take me four years to do. And at that stage, I was like, I can't spend another four years doing this. I just need to get it done and get it finished. So I think that things change over time. So I wouldn't focus too much on the time frame unless it is going to massively impact your life plans and where you see yourself and how you want to live your life. But things do generally tend to work out if you've got the passion and the determination to get through those years.

Dr Faye Bate (3:58)

And a bit of a selfish question for me, because I'm at a bit of a crossroads in my career path. How did you find having kids whilst doing Obs and Gany training? Because Obs and Gany is notoriously known as one of the hardest specialties in medicine, highest burnout rate of any of the specialties.