Absolutely agree with this, and in the same vein I would say they should focus on early intervention and ensuring patients are well informed.
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Case in point: I have PCOS and approached my GP in my early 30s, when I was single, to ask for a hormone test to identify any potential fertility issues and ensure I had advance knowledge of any potential fertility issues.
GP refused, saying I should come back when I have a partner and had spent several years trying to conceive.
Several issues with this:
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Imbalanced hormones are a health issue, not just a fertility issue, and in the case of PCOS are a precursor to T2 diabetes and other health issues. I now know that I handle glucose badly (super common in PCOS) and manage my diet accordingly. Tests would have highlighted this. I’m naturally slim so wouldn’t have been aware otherwise.
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With early intervention I could have started with a super cheap supplement to regulate periods, then moved up through prescribed medication for ovulation, etc. (again, non-ovulation is also a health issue, not just a fertility issue). As it is I’m now getting IVF via the NHS – potentially about £21K more costly to the system than doing those tests and prescribing some lower order medication all those years ago.
There is a lot of determined short-sightedness