Making babies in the 21st Century isn't as straightforward as it used to be.

About one in six couples are experiencing difficulties with conception and from next year, women under the age of 40 will be offered one free IVF cycle on the NHS.

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a method of assisted reproduction where sperm and eggs are put in a lab dish so fertilisation can take place.

The resulting embryo is transferred into the "waiting" uterus to hopefully develop normally.

But only about one in five women who opt for one cycle of IVF treatment become pregnant.

Fertility treatment also results in an increased risk of multiple pregnancies, pregnancy complications, low birth weight, major birth defects and long-term disability among surviving infants.

No one disputes that IVF treatment is truly a miraculous innovation for those women with tubal damage as it presents their only route to motherhood.

I find it completely irresponsible to subject couples to invasive, possibly harmful procedures with such poor expected outcomes without first attempting more reliable, safer, cheaper and natural ways of "constructing" a healthy baby.

Even the most primitive of cultures have known that the best form of prenatal care begins long before that precious moment of conception.

Young girls from the Masai warrior tribe in Kenya, for instance, were given milk from cows grazed on fresh new grass in order to build them up.

And the Maoris in New Zealand ate shellfish (rich in minerals and vitamins) when preparing for pregnancy.

But as far as ancient remedies for infertility go, there are precious few - it seems to be a modern problem.

I often see young couples in clinic who have had the good sense to start taking care of their baby before there is a baby.

Both prospective parents need to re-evaluate their lifestyles. If you do all you can to have healthy sperm, eggs and a healthy uterus, you optimise your chances of creating stronger offspring.

It takes at least four months for eggs and sperm to mature and they can easily be affected by exposure to dangerous substances consumed or inhaled during that crucial pre-conception period.

Parental deficiencies in minerals such as iron, calcium, zinc and vitamins such as folic acid can all have an impact on a baby's future health.

Yet we need the full complement of nutrients, not just one or two, to fulfil our requirements for a healthy pregnancy and child.

Other vital ingredients are DHA and EPA from the omega-3 family of essential fatty acids, so crucial for normal brain development.

Children lacking in such essential nutrients are more prone to low immunity and childhood developmental disorders such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and the autistic spectrum.

In the UK, Foresight, the organisation for pre-conceptual care, enjoys a phenomenal 78 per cent success rate with subfertile couples without the potential side effects from IVF.

Foresight practitioners look at nutrition, alcohol, smoking, lead and other toxic metals, pesticides, food additives, genito-urinary infections, allergies, parasitic infestation and other hazards such as stress.

For details of a practitioner in your area, contact Foresight, 28 The Paddock, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1XD. Phone 01483 427839.

*Martina is a qualified nutritional therapist at the Dolphin House Clinic and Crescent Clinic of Complementary Medicine, Brighton, or visit www.thehealthbank.co.uk