Bristol CCG are trying to reduce age limits on the sly

[Foollove]

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Bristol CCG are reducing the age limit for IVF from 40 to 39 - there hasnt been any consultation on this and they seem to be trying to sneak it though. Apparently the Board is going to approve this next week 1 December 2022.

Devasted as this will likely mean my partner and I missing out as I turn 40 early next year.

[Trying1234]

is it worth writing to your MP?

[mcbrids]

Hi Foollove,

Sorry to hear this has happened. Just to let you know the policy says this so maybe you'll be covered:

Significant changes to the ICB’s current commissioning stance on infertility treatment and fertilitypreservation, have been proposed in the draft commissioning policies. Key changes include a lowering of the upper age limit of the prospective mother from 40 to 39 years. Under this criteria, prospective mother’s must not be older than their 39th birthday at referral.Most individuals seeking infertility assessment and treatment, must have undergone two years ofregular unprotected sex without conceiving, before they can apply for NHS funded infertility treatment. In lowering the upper age limit of the prospective mother, some patients aged 39 years, who have been trying to conceive for a year, could be denied treatment if the new policy is implemented because of the proposed new policy’s lower upper age limit. There is then, a need to

consider how the ICB will transition from the current commissioning stance to the proposed new approach in a way that is rational and fair.

The proposed change may affect, on average, around 30 women per year. As it is a change that will ostensibly only have three months of warning the cohort of women disadvantaged by this should be allowed to transition, which would take 9 months.

BNSSG ICB’s Executive Team have indicated that for this nine-month period, women aged between 39 and 40 years, who are known to their clinician as having suspected infertility and have been trying to conceive for at least one year, could still be referred for the funding of investigations and treatment of infertility under this policy should they meet the rest of the criteria.