Sitting on a park bench, nursing a coffee, I watched some kids on a climbing frame. It was summer 2022 and a beautiful sunny day. I’d just come out of a seven-year relationship and was feeling tender. ‘Get down from there,’ one of the mums called. I felt a pang of longing. At 45, I yearned for my own child, but now I worried I’d missed my chance. I’d always wanted to have children, and thought I’d simply meet someone and start a family like most of my friends. But it didn’t happen. And now I’d broken up with my latest partner, I felt devastated at the idea I’d never be a mum. My mum was full of support. ‘You still have a full life,’ she reminded me. I knew she was right. I travelled a great deal for my job in fashion and had lots of friends. But it wasn’t the same. ‘Blimey, you don’t want kids,’ colleagues would joke. ‘They tie you down and are so expensive.’ I nodded along, pretending to agree. But secretly I’d get home and spend hours online, reading stories of women who’d had kids in their 40s. My friends were more supportive. ‘Loads of women have children later in life,’ they said. And there always seemed to be some celebrity in the news, who was welcoming a child in their 40s or even 50s. Not always in the old-fashioned way, but it gave me hope. Then last May, I stumbled across a company that produced home health tests. One caught my eye. A test that measured the health of your ovaries by checking your level of anti-müllerian hormone (AMH). It took the guesswork out of fertility, and could tell me if I had lots of eggs left. Finally, I’d know just how fertile I was – and if having kids later in life was an option. Before I could change my mind I clicked buy and 48 hours later the test arrived. I wasted no time unboxing it. So simple to use, it was just a blood sample. I only had to prick my finger to produce a few drops of blood, then collect the drops in the tube and send it back to the lab. Two days later, I received an email with my results. Clicking it open, my eyes shone with tears as the results showed I was still ovulating. ‘Told you that you had time,’ friends beamed. I’ve spoken with doctors about my chances of success, too, and they’re hopeful. I know I still need to meet someone to have my dream family. Time may not be on my side – but at least I know my ovaries are!