NHS fertility funds eaten up by single women - if you believe what you read in the papers...

According to the Daily Mail headlines last week, it seems that couples are 'losing out' in the IVF lottery because single women are being given treatment above them. Just the sort of headlines to confirm the prejudices of those who think the NHS is funding far too much fertility treatment. Apparently, one in five primary care trusts will fund IVF for single women. In theory, at least... And that's where the argument starts to lose ground.

As anyone who has tried to access fertility treatment on the NHS knows, the funding situation is a bit of a mess. Although PCTs may say they would fund treatment for single women, the numbers of single women who've actually received NHS treatment is likely to be incredibly low. IVF is a treatment for those with fertility problems - single women trying to conceive wouldn't start out by opting for IVF as very few women know they have a problem before they start trying to get pregnant. And if a single woman has a fertility problem, should we really say we won't give the necessary treatment to get over a medical condition because she doesn't have a partner? Whatever you think about the rights and wrongs of this, it doesn't alter the fact that the headlines were fundamentally inaccurate.

Reading the stories more closely, they'd carefully avoided any mention of how many single women had received NHS-funded IVF or how much this might have cost. Of course, the reality is that this is one of those occasions when the truth would have got in the way of a good story. Equally, there was no evidence to support the claim that these single women were being given preferential treatment over couples. A handful of single women having NHS-funded IVF hardly merits the headlines, and yet it's probably far closer to the real picture.

Support for single women

It's hard enough not being able to have a child when you are going through it with a partner, but having to cope with fertility treatment by yourself can be really tough. At Infertility Network UK, we're thinking of setting up a support group for single women if there's sufficient interest. You can find out more by checking out the forums at www.infertilitynetworkuk.com

Support for single women

If you're a single woman contemplating motherhood alone, you may be interested to know that the Donor Conception Network now has a web page for those in your situation. Not all of the single women in the network have fertility problems, but some do and it may be helpful just to talk to other women who are considering becoming single parents using donor sperm.

The network has contacts around the country and can put you in touch with other women in your area, which can be an invaluable source of support. You can see the new page on the Donor Conception Network website at www.donor-conception-network.org/single_wmen .

You may also be interested in the chapter in my book, The Complete Guide to Female Fertility which considers going it alone to become a mother.