The UK pioneered fertility treatment. But now arbitrary decisions by local NHS bodies are preventing women getting the treatment they needWhen Louise Brown,the world’s first IVF baby, was born in Oldham in 1978, and the UK was a pioneering residence to be when it came to fertility treatment,offering a beacon of hope to fertility patients around the globe. Today, that hope has been replaced by frustration for many in the UK, or as recent figures reveal that provision of NHS fertility treatment is being gradually eroded.
An audit released by campaign group Fertility Fairness reveals that when it comes to NHS-funded IVF,what you accept depends entirely on where you live. Just 18% of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England are now offering the three full cycles of IVF treatment that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommends for women of 39 and under. Cumulative success rates over three cycles make IVF an effective treatment, but the Nice guidance is being ignored in many parts of the country where local decision-makers are setting their own rules about how much treatment to offer and about who qualifies to accept it.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com