Women having fertility treatment in Oxford are the first in the UK to be offered a procedure that is safer and up to £1,000 cheaper than standard IVF (in vitro fertilisation).

The treatment will allow Oxford Fertility Unit patients at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington to bypass IVF's potentially risky ovarian stimulation process, involving two weeks of injections.

The move has been welcomed by mothers who have already conceived through the clinic. They believe it will be less inconvenient and uncomfortable, and more affordable.

Up until now, women needing fertility treatment have had to use IVF, enduring a fortnight of daily injections to stimulate their ovaries to release a batch of mature eggs for fertilisation.

Under the new procedure, called IVM (in vitro maturation), doctors will take immature eggs and grow them in a laboratory for a couple of days, cancelling the need for stimulation drugs.

The procedure is safer because it removes the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which can kill.

And although both treatments cost £2,600, as only a few patients are eligible for free NHS care, IVM patients will not need to pay £1,000 for the stimulation drugs.

Mother-of-three Caroline Steinberg, of Radley, gave birth to her first two children, Sophia, 10, and Victoria, seven, following IVF. Her son Henry was conceived naturally.

She said: "I didn't find the injections too intrusive, but I know some women find it very uncomfortable during what is a very emotional time for them. Obviously it would be much less stressful not having to go through this.

"The cost of IVF can be inhibitive. People have to save up and really think about whether they're able to do it. If IVM is cheaper, more people may be able to consider it, and may even be able to afford a second treatment should the first be unsuccessful."

Gynaecologist Mr Tim Child, of Oxford Fertility Clinic, won permission from regulating agency the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to carry out IVM following extensive research.

He said although 20 couples received IVF at the clinic every week, initially only women with a high risk of OHSS would be offered the alternative IVM, including those under 36 whose ovaries were polycystic.

He added: "OHSS has caused a few deaths in the last few years. If a woman is very sensitive to the drugs, they'll over-respond and their hormone levels rise. This causes their abdomen to fill with fluid, leading to problems with their kidneys.

"One to two per cent of women having IVF are admitted to hospital with OHSS and they have to stay for one to two weeks.

"If after a few months I'm happy with the success rates, there is a potential to broaden IVM out to other women."