I wrote a while ago about the Benenden Healthcare Society, a mutual not for profit organisation which provides healthcare to public sector employees - and is offering IVF at reduced cost. The Society has now voted to open up to all those who are members of charities too, which means that anyone who has joined Infertility Network UK for support can benefit from this.
Benenden Hospital in Kent is a subsidiary of the society and has charitable trust status. It provides healthcare for members of the trust, and has its own fertility centre. Although IVF treatment cannot be offered free, it is subsidised - members who have been with the society for six months or more qualify for IVF at reduced cost.
You can find out more at www.benenden.org.uk
Friday, 17 September 2010
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Another trust cuts fertility funding
So, now NHS Bury has decided to stop funding IVF too - apparently as part of a plan to save "millions of pounds". Well, I just hope the plan includes an awful lot of other things, as they're not going to save a single million by stopping fertility treatment.
In 2008, they funded a total of 31 treatment cycles - which means they'd probably struggle to save much more than £100,000 by cutting treatment altogether. That may seem quite a lot of money but in terms of their multi-million pound annual budget, it is peanuts. I suspect the board at NHS Bury could do with a few lessons in health economics - causing so much misery and depression for such a small saving is not good policy, it's a lazy way to make it look as if you are doing something by snipping away at small budgets,
IVF is not always successful, but the pain of involuntary childlessness is far easier to bear if you know that you had the opportunity to try to overcome your fertility problem. And let's be clear, a fertility problem is a health problem not a "lifestyle issue". I am never entirely sure why blocked Fallopian tubes or polycystic ovary syndrome are conveniently no longer classified as medical problems when it comes to funding fertility.
NHS Bury is also cutting "other discretionary procedures" such as cosmetic surgery, apart from in exceptional cases (which suggests a lot of unexceptional ones have been funded in the past) and homeopathy treatments. Says it all really...
In 2008, they funded a total of 31 treatment cycles - which means they'd probably struggle to save much more than £100,000 by cutting treatment altogether. That may seem quite a lot of money but in terms of their multi-million pound annual budget, it is peanuts. I suspect the board at NHS Bury could do with a few lessons in health economics - causing so much misery and depression for such a small saving is not good policy, it's a lazy way to make it look as if you are doing something by snipping away at small budgets,
IVF is not always successful, but the pain of involuntary childlessness is far easier to bear if you know that you had the opportunity to try to overcome your fertility problem. And let's be clear, a fertility problem is a health problem not a "lifestyle issue". I am never entirely sure why blocked Fallopian tubes or polycystic ovary syndrome are conveniently no longer classified as medical problems when it comes to funding fertility.
NHS Bury is also cutting "other discretionary procedures" such as cosmetic surgery, apart from in exceptional cases (which suggests a lot of unexceptional ones have been funded in the past) and homeopathy treatments. Says it all really...
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Positive new research on DHEA
It's a subject that has come up at lot recently at the fertility support groups I visit - the use of DHEA to improve the chances of IVF success for women who have a low ovarian reserve.
DHEA is an anti-ageing vitamin supplement and women in the UK have been buying it online - and reporting that their response during IVF treatment has been much improved. It's quite a hot topic amongst the couples at the groups, and more and more have been using it recently.
Now, scientists in Israel have looked more closely at the effects of the supplement - and they found that women who took it were three times more likely to get pregnant than those who didn't. Apparently, the women who'd taken DHEA were also more likely to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
It isn't clear exactly what DHEA does to women to make them more fertile, and many consultants in the UK are reluctant to recommend it without larger scale trials - however, if you've got a low ovarian reserve and are having IVF, it's definitely worth looking into.
There's more detail on the research, which has been published in Human Reproduction, here
DHEA is an anti-ageing vitamin supplement and women in the UK have been buying it online - and reporting that their response during IVF treatment has been much improved. It's quite a hot topic amongst the couples at the groups, and more and more have been using it recently.
Now, scientists in Israel have looked more closely at the effects of the supplement - and they found that women who took it were three times more likely to get pregnant than those who didn't. Apparently, the women who'd taken DHEA were also more likely to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
It isn't clear exactly what DHEA does to women to make them more fertile, and many consultants in the UK are reluctant to recommend it without larger scale trials - however, if you've got a low ovarian reserve and are having IVF, it's definitely worth looking into.
There's more detail on the research, which has been published in Human Reproduction, here
IVF cuts - make your feelings known...
It was depressing to get back from my holiday and discover that one Primary Care Trust had decided to stop funding fertility treatment due to the recession.
It's an easy way to look as if you are being thrifty - but the ridiculous thing is that it actually saves a very small amount of money whilst causing a huge amount of heartache. I heard an estimate the other day that in total fertility funding was less than 0.1% of the NHS budget. I suspect far more could be saved by a more careful monitoring of exactly what can be covered by executive expenses - and that wouldn't cause any heartache to anyone.
Clare Lewis-Jones MBE, chair of the National Infertility Awareness Campaign and Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK has made her feelings clear, urging Warrington PCT to rethink the decision; “We are very angry indeed at the decision taken by Warrington PCT to suspend funding for IVF treatment. The PCT has suggested that infertility does not affect general physical health but we deal with patients every day who contact us and whose health has been adversely affected by this illness. NICE Guidance issued in 2004 recommended eligible couples should receive up to three full cycles of treatment. It is high time that PCTs realised the impact infertility has on patients."
I think sometimes Primary Care Trusts are too quick to listen to the small but vociferous minority who oppose fertility treatment and to take their views as being representative. People who are living without the children they'd love are often so adversely affected by their situation that they feel unable to make a fuss when PCTs make decisions like this. Maybe you could help them. Tell Warrington PCT Chair, Mr John Gartside, what you think about the decision.
Mr John Gartside
Warrington Primary Care Trust
Headquarters
930-932 Birchwood Boulevard
Millennium Park
Birchwood
Warrington WA3 7QN
It's an easy way to look as if you are being thrifty - but the ridiculous thing is that it actually saves a very small amount of money whilst causing a huge amount of heartache. I heard an estimate the other day that in total fertility funding was less than 0.1% of the NHS budget. I suspect far more could be saved by a more careful monitoring of exactly what can be covered by executive expenses - and that wouldn't cause any heartache to anyone.
Clare Lewis-Jones MBE, chair of the National Infertility Awareness Campaign and Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK has made her feelings clear, urging Warrington PCT to rethink the decision; “We are very angry indeed at the decision taken by Warrington PCT to suspend funding for IVF treatment. The PCT has suggested that infertility does not affect general physical health but we deal with patients every day who contact us and whose health has been adversely affected by this illness. NICE Guidance issued in 2004 recommended eligible couples should receive up to three full cycles of treatment. It is high time that PCTs realised the impact infertility has on patients."
I think sometimes Primary Care Trusts are too quick to listen to the small but vociferous minority who oppose fertility treatment and to take their views as being representative. People who are living without the children they'd love are often so adversely affected by their situation that they feel unable to make a fuss when PCTs make decisions like this. Maybe you could help them. Tell Warrington PCT Chair, Mr John Gartside, what you think about the decision.
Mr John Gartside
Warrington Primary Care Trust
Headquarters
930-932 Birchwood Boulevard
Millennium Park
Birchwood
Warrington WA3 7QN
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Does ovulation affect your choice of clothing?
I'm fascinated by some new research which shows that women buy more daring clothes when they are ovulating and imagined it must be to make themselves look and feel more attractive to men. Apparently, the researchers found that outdoing other women was the key factor rather than a simple desire to impress the opposite sex.
The women who chose the more daring clothes were not only ovulating, but had also been shown photos of attractive local women. Apparently the effect wasn't the same when they were shown pictures of less attractive women, or those who lived thousands of miles away, and in these cases they didn't opt for the daring outfits.
The research was carried out by a team at the Carlson School of Management in Minnesota and published in the Journal of Consumer Research - you can read more at www.csom.umn.edu
The women who chose the more daring clothes were not only ovulating, but had also been shown photos of attractive local women. Apparently the effect wasn't the same when they were shown pictures of less attractive women, or those who lived thousands of miles away, and in these cases they didn't opt for the daring outfits.
The research was carried out by a team at the Carlson School of Management in Minnesota and published in the Journal of Consumer Research - you can read more at www.csom.umn.edu
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Pregnancy after miscarriage
How soon can you try to get pregnant again after a miscarriage? The conventional wisdom has been that women should wait for at least six months, and some recommend waiting as long as eighteen months. However, others have always believed that trying to get pregnant again as soon as possible could in fact enhance a woman’s chances of recovery.
This new study in Scotland looked at the outcome of pregnancy in women who’d had a previous miscarriage. The women were divided into groups depending on how long they had waited to try to get pregnant again. The researchers at Aberdeen University found that those who had conceived within six months of an earlier miscarriage were less likely to lose another baby or to have an ectopic pregnancy, and they were also less likely to give birth prematurely or have a baby with a low birth weight.
The researchers concluded that it was probably unncessary for women to try to delay conception after miscarriage unless there are specific issues that may indicate it is necessary. You can read more about the research at www.bmj.com
This new study in Scotland looked at the outcome of pregnancy in women who’d had a previous miscarriage. The women were divided into groups depending on how long they had waited to try to get pregnant again. The researchers at Aberdeen University found that those who had conceived within six months of an earlier miscarriage were less likely to lose another baby or to have an ectopic pregnancy, and they were also less likely to give birth prematurely or have a baby with a low birth weight.
The researchers concluded that it was probably unncessary for women to try to delay conception after miscarriage unless there are specific issues that may indicate it is necessary. You can read more about the research at www.bmj.com
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Superdrug deal on IVF drugs
Anyone who has had fertility treatment will know that the cost of the drugs can send the total bill soaring, and patients are often advised to shop around to get a reasonable deal on the drugs they will need.
Now Superdrug has announced plans to dispense fertility drugs with no mark-up on the cost - and this will also apply to other privately prescribed prescriptions. This is due to come into effect right away so if you're about to start a treatment cycle, it is worth checking the price at Superdrug as well as any other outlet you may be considering. However, do keep in mind that when Asda announced a similar scheme for fertility drugs a while back, some NHS hospital pharmacies were cheaper - so do make sure you check!
You can read more about the Superdrug plans here
Now Superdrug has announced plans to dispense fertility drugs with no mark-up on the cost - and this will also apply to other privately prescribed prescriptions. This is due to come into effect right away so if you're about to start a treatment cycle, it is worth checking the price at Superdrug as well as any other outlet you may be considering. However, do keep in mind that when Asda announced a similar scheme for fertility drugs a while back, some NHS hospital pharmacies were cheaper - so do make sure you check!
You can read more about the Superdrug plans here
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