Plymouth women losing out in IVF ‘postcode lottery’ – Plymouth Herald

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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 90% of people experience depression; 42% suicidal thoughts and relationships are affected (70%).

"Only those who have experienced infertility can really understand the impact which it has, and it is heart-breaking to know that access to treatment in England is dependent on your postcode."

NHS Kernow, the clinical commissioning group for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, was formed in April 2013 and has been using the existing policy since then.

NHS Kernow spent in the region of 250,000 on IVF treatment cycles during the past financial year, a spokeswoman said.

A spokesman for NHS Kernow said: "NHS Kernow uses a policy on assisted conception that provides a comprehensive range of infertility treatments. This policy was developed with clinicians and fertility experts to ensure people can access a range of treatments that give them a greater chance of conception. Eligible couples across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly can receive one cycle of IVF (In Vitro treatment) and up to four cycles of IUI (Intrauterine insemination).

"The NICE guidelines provide guidance and whilst CCGs across Devon and Cornwall fund one cycle, there are other CCGs that offer none."

Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group and South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group said they had no plans to review IVF treatment.

Professor Simon Fishel, founder of the Care Fertility network of clinics, said: "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 ... but what I cannot abide is the local variation for something like this, which doesn't reflect local populations."

More: Couple face IVF treatment rationing

"You have to treat citizens equally and this is a deliberate inequality and allows some areas to say they are offering IVF but when it comes down to the detail, only a tiny fraction of those who need it have access to it."

NHS Kernow offers up to four cycles of Intrauterine insemination and one cycle of funded IVF per couple, who would be expected to have a more than 10% chance of live-birth per cycle.

If the woman is aged under 40, they should be offered one cycle of IVF if they have been trying to get pregnant for two years or they are using artificial insemination and have not become pregnant after 12 cycles.

However, if tests show that there appears to be no chance of the woman conceiving naturally, and that IVF is the only treatment that is likely to help, they should be referred straightaway for IVF.

No woman may receive an NHS funded IVF cycle if she has previously received a total of three cycles, whether self- or NHS-funded.

This is because the chances of having a baby falls with the number of unsuccessful cycles of IVF.

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Plymouth women losing out in IVF 'postcode lottery' - Plymouth Herald