In general, these treatments are best used in the short-term (that is, for no more than a year) because prolonged use tends to result in side-effects. This drug-induced respite from heavy bleeding secures time during which women and their doctors can examine the situation carefully before settling on a strategy. For women approaching menopause, medical treatments may provide just the sort of stopgap needed until their bleeding problems disappear spontaneously.

Drug treatments can shrink tissues that may be responsible for bleeding. According to some doctors this makes subsequent surgery easier; although practitioners whose approach is to cut out or excise the aberrant tissue say it makes the surgical removal of unwanted tissue more difficult because it is less visible in its shrunken form.

The cost of drug approaches compared with surgery depends on the duration of their use, whether their price is subsidised through a national health scheme (such as through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia) and whether there is a need for regular medical checks or examinations.

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Zinc is necessary for the body to attract and hold the reproductive hormones, oestrogen and progesterone.

Zinc also plays a vital role in cell division so it is especially important that adequate levels are available at the time of conception. When couples go for IVF treatment, and the egg has been fertilised, the doctors have to wait until it divides sufficiently before it is put back in the woman. If the cell division is inadequate then that fertilised egg will not be used. This same cell division takes place during natural conception and it also requires good levels of zinc. If levels are not optimum, then it not only makes it difficult to conceive but there are also risks of having a baby with low birth weight, malformations or poor development of the brain and nervous system.

Zinc deficiency can block the absorption of folic acid so having a deficiency of one nutrient can lead to deficiencies in other nutrients. This is why getting a good intake of a number of nutrients is so important.

Zinc is also vital for your partner because it is crucial for the proper development of sperm. We know this because when young animals are fed a zinc-deficient diet they can produce abnormal sperm. For example, 60 day-old mice were found to be sterile after only three weeks of being fed a zinc-deficient diet.

Studies carried out in the 1980s showed that zinc deficiency in men causes a temporary but reversible reduction in sperm count and a reduced testosterone level. And this reduction in testosterone level has since been confirmed by other studies.

Giving zinc to men with low testosterone levels raises the hormone to a more normal level and increases the sperm count. In one study some men had an increase of 150 per cent in their sperm count, and in nine cases out of 22 their partners conceived while they were taking the zinc.

Simply comparing men with low sperm counts to men with normal sperm counts has shown that serum (blood) zinc levels and seminal zinc levels are significantly lower in infertile men.

With each ejaculation, men lose up to 9 per cent of their daily zinc intake. So it is crucial that your partner keeps up a good daily intake of zinc.

Clearly, zinc should be taken as a supplement if there is any problem with sperm count or quality. You and your partner should also include sources of zinc, such as oats, rye, whole-wheat, almonds, pumpkin seeds and peas, in your diet.

Symptoms of zinc deficiency include:

• white spots on nails

• low sperm count

• poor sense of taste

• poor sense of smell

You should take 30mg zinc a day.

Your partner should take 30mg zinc a day.

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