IVF postcode lottery condemned

You will have hopefully seen on the INUK website the link to the publishing of the All Party Parliamentary Group on access to IVF. The BBC News cover this here bbc.co.uk/news/health-13670615 (and there is a link to INUK too!)

My take on this, is that my PCT is one of those offering the smallest amount - am I grateful that they are offering at all??? My PCT offer one fresh cycle (no frozen linked to this), if you have been trying for 3 years and are between the age of 30-34.

I happen to be in the eligible age range, I'm guess I'm lucky that I fit in it, if we had started trying any earlier, then I would be too young and have to self fund after years of trying, any later and by the time I got to the 3-year mark, I would have been too old to get the NHS funded treatment.

I had my one NHS funded cycle in March this year. It ended in early miscarriage. Any other cycles will be self-funded, and as I need ICSI, this will cost approx £5k per go. This is a big financial pressure. The only way that I can justify the spend is that if I had gotten pregnant when I first planned, I would have given up work for 3 years and therefore have that salary which in my ideal world wouldn't have been earned - we had worked out that we could just about afford for me to give up work. Therefore, I won't starve if I go for the treatment, but life has had to be downscaled to even get a hope at having a baby.

I know that I'm very lucky to be able to afford this, but, I do feel that all couples without children should be able to access the level of treatment to the NICE guidelines standard. I'm debating at the moment whether I want to get an appointment with my MP to discuss with him (esp as he has just had his 4th child!)

[ruth81]

Like Flowergirl I could also be considered as lucky (hmmmm, really not sure that is the right word to describe any aspect of IVF?!) as I was entitled to one free cycle and 2 frozen cycles on the NHS. My fresh cycle resulted in a 6 wk miscarriage and my 2 frozens were both negative. There were several problems with my treatment, including problems with my fresh transfer and a mix up of my frozen embryos. I think clinics learn a huge amount from your first cycle, certainly in mine, some things would have to be done differently next time round. It therefore feels like the NHS round was a learning experience for the clinic, and now we have to pay out huge sums of money to (hopefully!) get it right second time round. If PCT's stuck to the NICE guidelines and allowed everyone 3 rounds, this would surely give us the best chances of successful treatment. I feel my PCT has left me high and dry after a cycle where the clinic were still learning alot about my body.

I am definitely planning on writing to my PCT and my MP, maybe the more we put our stories across the more the Government will realise how unfair the current system is.

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it is crazy when we think ourselves lucky for getting less than the recommended treatment!