A US fertility expert will speak tomorrow at a meeting organised by Island infertility support group Paperwhites.

A spokeswoman said Dr Matan Yemini, from the Diamond Institute in New Jersey, would discuss options for having children, including in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) a technique not available on the Island.

The spokeswoman added: “He comes to the Island about three times a year and does consultations with couples who are having fertility problems and who would like to take it to the next step, more so than they can do on the Island.”

She said: “Even if they are not interested yet in IVF because that’s a big step, the presentation will be interesting on the general subject of infertility as well.

“He will also discuss IVF, the process of it from beginning to end, because it’s quite a process and so people will be better-informed.”

She added that Dr Yemeni had noted that there appeared to be a high infertility rate in Bermuda, although it also has a high birth rate.

And she said that adoption and surrogate pregnancies would also be on the agenda for the meeting.

The spokeswoman added that changing lifestyles meant women were putting off having children until later in their lives — which could lead to more difficulty conceiving.

“Infertility is a bigger issue that it was in previous years, that’s for sure,” she said.

Paperwhites was founded in 2009 to assist people having difficulty conceiving.

The spokeswoman added: “There’s definitely a need for it and we’ve had a lot of people through, but most end up leaving with a baby, so it’s good.”

Dr Yemeni will host a meeting in the first floor conference room at the KEMH tomorrow night from 6pm-7.30pm.

More information at http://paperwhitesbermuda.info/.