IVF treatment has been restricted or halted by 13 areas in England in an attempt to save money. The cost-cutting move is now being considered by a further eight areas amid warnings of a postcode lottery for couples seeking treatment. The number of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) offering three full cycles of IVF has fallen by 46 per cent in the last four years, data provided by Fertility Network UK shows. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), an NHS group, recommends women aged under 40 should receive three cycles of IVF treatment if they have been trying to conceive for two years. Professor Simon Fishel, who was part of a team that pioneered IVF in the UK, said the inequality of the cuts were a major concern. What is the point of having Nice guidelines if they are not adhered to? If the country decides it will not fund IVF then fine, that is a decision that affects everyone, he told The Guardian. But what I cannot abide is the local variation for something like this, which doesnt reflect local populations. You have to treat citizens equally and this is a deliberate inequality and obfuscation and allows … Continue reading →

Comments(0) Women in Devon and Cornwall who need help to have a baby are the losers in a "postcode lottery" for NHS fertility treatment, it has emerged. A fertility expert has warned that plans to cut back on in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment in some areas of England amount to "deliberate inequality". The charity Fertility Network UK has warned of stricter access criteria and plans to cut NHS IVF. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidelines say the NHS should provide three full cycles of IVF treatment for women aged under 40 who have failed to get pregnant after two years of trying. Clinical commissioning groups in Devon and Cornwall already offer only one free attempt for women under 40. Susan Seenan, chief executive of Fertility Network UK, said: "NICE recommends that up to three cycles of IVF treatment are offered to those eligible. "The recommendations are based on cost as well as clinical effectiveness and by offering only one cycle Devon and Cornwall are going completely against national guidance. "Infertility has a serious and lasting impact on all those affected and fertility problems do not just affect people physically, but mentally too: our recent survey showed that … Continue reading →

The family of a woman who has suffered nine miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy have launched a crowdfunding appeal to pay for a further course of IVF treatment. Pamela Mackenzie is looking to raise 6,000 to help pay for IVF as she does not qualify for a free round of treatment on the NHS in Scotland as she has had two previous cycles. The 36-year-old said that she was determined to keep trying despite a heartbreaking round of miscarriages stretching back over 17 years and the agony of an ectopic pregnancy, where the embryo implants itself outside the womb. Pamela, who has been together with her husband Ian for 19 years and married for nine, was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) a condition that makes it difficult to get pregnant, when she was just 13. She was told by her local GP that she would need help to conceive a child and not to wait too long. Pamela started trying for a child when she was 19, suffered her first miscarriage aged 21, and was left heartbroken by the experience, having thought she would have a healthy pregnancy with a baby at the end. The couple did not try … Continue reading →

Even worse than the postcode lottery on IVF treatment being introduced by clinical commissioning groups (Report, 7 August) is the short-termism and lack of joined-up thinking in deciding what patient services to axe in order to save money. In my area (Herts Valleys), at a recent public consultation event, proposals were not only to cease providing IVF and specialist fertility services but also to stop funding vasectomy and female sterilisation operations. But funding of pregnancy/birth/postnatal care as well as abortions will continue. It should not need spelling out that prevention is always better than cure and to know that reducing unwanted/unplanned pregnancies is cheaper than dealing with the results of such pregnancies. When pointing this out, I was told that the CCG would continue to supply very effective contraceptives. Unfortunately figures and surveys show that contraceptives may be effective, but the human beings who use/do not use them are fallible. In real life, male or female sterilisation is the only 100% effective method of preventing pregnancy and it is sad that highly paid professionals tasked with spending our money efficiently do not appear to know this.Diane MundayWheathampstead, Hertfordshire One in six couples in the UK now struggle to conceive. Thats … Continue reading →