If you want to know what your chances are of getting NHS help for IVF, a new website has just been launched that can help. The map at www.fundingforfertility.co.uk covers the whole of the UK, and by clicking on an area you can discover whether funding is available, and what restrictions have been set on who can receive it.
The website has been set up by the charity Infertility Network UK, and shows that even now, five years after the IVF postcode lottery was meant to have ended, your chances of getting funded treatment depend entirely on where you live. Government guidance suggests that eligible couples should be able to receive up to three cycles of IVF, but for most of those who need treatment this is still far from becoming reality.
Some areas are not funding treatment at all, whilst many others will only help with one cycle. Even in areas where there is funding, the local trusts often set strict limits on who is eligible in order to ration treatment. You may find that you are too old, too young or too heavy, and smokers are ruled out in most areas. The problem is that these criteria are not always created by people who have an understanding of infertility and IVF, and the current situation is far from fair or just.
See the Fertility Funding map at www.fundingforfertility.co.uk
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