THOUSANDS of women are being asked to take part in a major survey to help University of Aberdeen researchers better understand the scale of Grampian's fertility problems.

Findings from the questionnaires, which are going to 9000 randomly-selected women aged between 31 and 51, will also inform the planning process for the future delivery of the region's fertility treatment.

This is the first survey of its kind in 18 years in Grampian where it is estimated one in seven couples will experience fertility problems.

About 500 new referrals are made every year to Aberdeen Fertility Centre which treats patients from the north and north-east. Researchers say it is important that all recipients - not just those who have experienced infertility - fill in the questionnaires to ensure an accurate estimate of the scale of the problem.

Professor Siladitya Bhattacharya, honorary consultant at Aberdeen Fertility Centre, said: "The population of Scotland is in decline and more and more couples appear to be in need of fertility treatment. There is a lot of debate across Britain about access to fertility treatment with complaints about postcode lotteries.

"However, the actual scale of the problem is unknown as there are no recent figures on the numbers of couples who are unable to have children of their own."