IVF through NHS is free or not?

[Sahithya]

Hello lovelies hope all are doing good in this pandemic

I have a query regarding nhs funding IVF, please help me with some info those who went through nhs.

I have been recently referred to some fertility clinic through my GP, they told to pay amount for appointment. I am afraid that is IVF treatment is free or should we need to pay any amount for whole treatment? Is medicines free or do we need to pay any amount for that too?

[PollyT20]

Hye, depends on your age I think. 35 is the cut off for IVF on the NHS. Waiting times are rather long so if time isn'ton your side, private is the way forward. Im 43 and had some blood tests and a scan on NHS plus a conversation with a fertility specialist, which I'm grateful for but that's where it ends. Next step is private x

[Sahithya in reply to PollyT20]

Thanks for your reply, I donno how much time they will take to start my treatment, I am 25, and I am perfectly alright, the main drawback was my husbands sperm quality is low

[happyseal]

Heya...so basically you’ll have to be 35 or under and never had a child. That’s what I’ve been told so far.

[happyseal in reply to happyseal]

Seems that it is much more complicated, you may have to check the local CCG:

hfea.gov.uk/treatments/expl...

[Sahithya in reply to happyseal]

Thanks for your reply, I am eagerly waiting to start my treatment 😀

[Zaazee]

Hi Sahithya,

You may want to check out the information within this link to better understand how the referral process works.

nhs.uk/conditions/ivf/getti...

Have you been referred to an NHS fertility specialist or a private one?

Although the details in the link above indicate NICE recommendations, you will need to ask your GP or contact your local CCG (nhs.uk/service-search/other... to find out whether NHS-funded IVF treatment is available in your area.

Hope this helps.

[Sahithya in reply to Zaazee]

Thanks for your reply, I think NHS fertility

[KHC39]

Hi. Unfortunately it’s a postcode lottery and depends on your CCG. Some don’t fund my and some find up to 3. Mine only funds 1. It also depends on age. NICE recommend that the NHS funds 3 cycles but the CCG do not have to follow this guidance.

[Sahithya in reply to KHC39]

Thank you for your reply 😊

[Orangeflowers]

Hi - as has been said, different ccgs have different criteria and don't necessarily follow nice guidance. In Yorks and the Humber you can have 1 cycle up to age 42, but must have a partner, no other children, meet weight criteria, been trying for 2 years + etc. All the best with navigating this x

[Sahithya in reply to Orangeflowers]

Thank you for your reply lovely😊

[Newbies1]

Hi

Like others have said it does depend on where you live, in my area (merseyside) they will fund 3 rounds if you are 39 or under, no children, dont smoke, have BMI below 30, bloods show likely to respond well to medication, being trying for more than a year, they fund 1 round if aged 40 to 41 and meet above criteria but wont fund any cycles above that age. They do charge for certain things such as £100 for AMH blood test (to check egg reserve) and you will have to pay £9 per prescription other than that consultations, scans, egg retrieval and egg transfer included as one cycle. Certain add ons to the treatment will not be included but you can opt to pay for those such as embroyo glue and care maps but they should go through all that with you at the consultation. How many cycles the NHS will fund does depend on you CCG so it is best to check for your area.

Hope this helps

Good luck with everything xxx

[Sahithya in reply to Newbies1]

Many thanks for your info 😊

[Chicky86]

Hi, I'm 34 and am currently going through my first cycle on the NHS. Had egg collection on Friday! Where I live, the NHS fund just the 1 cycle. I've not had to pay anything in regards to treatment. I had the option of paying for an Embryoscope incubator, which we chose to do, but this was certainly not mandatory, and otherwise treatment wouldn't have cost us a penny.

Good luck on your journey xx

[Sahithya in reply to Chicky86]

Thank you for your info chicky, I am from northomton here my GP told to pay to book a treatment with clinic🙄

[Chicky86 in reply to Sahithya]

Oh well that's frustrating. Once I had funding approved, we had a letter confirming it was approved, and then the clinic called us to make an appointment xx

[Peanutchips]

Every CCG is so different, for my London borough you can have 3 x transfers if below 40, 1 transfer if between 40-42. All free of charge. However there were long waiting lists and strangely the lower end stuff like clomid induction and IUI wasn’t free of charge. You had to pay the hospital directly. Best of luck xx