"Beep beep, time to make a baby"

Proving that truth is often stranger than fiction, a mobile phone that rings to inform its user she is ovulating has been launched in Japan, with other 'female-friendly' functionality.

Would-be mothers can key data on menstruation dates into their phone and they will receive alerts informing them when they may be most likely to get pregnant.

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Japan's fertility rate sunk to a new low for the fourth year running in 2005.

The D702iF, available through Japan's NTT DoCoMo, comes in pastel pink and was the idea of female designer Momoko Ikuta.

The handset also provides other features, including a recipe database and a button to set off a dummy ringtone, allowing the user to pretend to receive a call if she is receiving unwanted attention or a date is going downhill.