Londoners are far less likely to have IVF procedures funded by the NHS, according to new analysis, as experts warned women face a “postcode lottery”.
Data released by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority shows that just a quarter of the IVF treatment cycles that took place in the capital between 2009 and 2021 were funded by the health service. The remaining treatments were privately funded.
Fertility patients were more than twice as likely to receive IVF on the NHS in the North East (61 per cent), the analysis found. In the East of England and the West Midlands, 44 per cent of IVF cycles were NHS-funded.
To qualify for NHS-funded IVF in the UK, women must meet a range of criteria outlined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including being under the age of 40 and having been trying to get pregnant through unprotected intercourse for at least two years.
The final decision on who can access NHS-funded IVF is decided by local integrated care boards, but many will only fund one cycle.
A report released last month by website Fertility Mapper found that London is the most expensive city in the UK for IVF, with a single cycle costing an average of £6,150.
Meanwhile, the number of patients seeking IVF support in the UK has increased. Some 80,000 procedures took place in 2021, a rise of 40 per cent on the figure reported in 2009.
The analysis was conducted by Béa Fertility, a London-based startup offering fertility care.
Tess Cosad, CEO and co-founder at Béa Fertility, said that patients wanting to have a baby through IVF faced a “postcode lottery”.
“There are lots of factors at play here. Fertility is a complex and high-stakes area of healthcare. The sector is highly privatised, and NHS services are stretched. It’s clear that more needs to be done to support the many thousands of people who are struggling with fertility,” she told the Standard.
“Not only do we need to make IVF more accessible and affordable for those who need it, we also need new treatment options on the fertility pathway that don’t involve expensive and invasive procedures.”
IVF seeks to achieve pregnancy by fertilising an egg with sperm in a laboratory, before implanting the embryo in a woman’s womb to develop.
In 2019, the percentage of IVF treatments that resulted in a live birth was 32 per cent for women under 35 and 19 per cent for women aged 38 to 39.
‘We had to fight tooth and nail for IVF’
Millie, from Stanmore, started trying for a baby with her husband aged 35. She received one round of IVF on the NHS but it was not successful, forcing her to seek private treatment as she no longer qualified for treatment on the health service.
The couple paid £20,000 for three rounds of private IVF over the course of a year, and Millie eventually fell pregnant with her daughter in August 2022.
“We had to fight tooth and nail to access our free round of IVF on the NHS. And we didn’t even get as far as transfer before it failed. I understand the system is under pressure, but there has to be more we can do to support families to conceive,” she told the Standard.
“We could never have had our baby if it wasn’t for the financial support of my parents. The high prices have been a source of immense frustration, sadness and strain for us. But we are the lucky ones who had support, so we were able to try again and again until we got our miracle. There are many people who aren’t so fortunate.”
Millie said she was “desperate for a sibling” for her daughter but would not opt for IVF treatment again.
“The physical and emotional toll is too much and we can’t afford to go private again,” she said.
“I also want to be present with my daughter, not rushing back and forth to the fertility clinic, ‘yo-yoing’ up and down after each treatment, pumped full of hormones, and covered in bruises all the time from the injections.”
She called for better resources to offer people more fertility support on the NHS.
“Many people with fertility issues need more than one round of treatment to conceive, so the rules need to change. There also needs to be fairer access across the country. It’s unthinkable that we were at a disadvantage when it came to accessing NHS treatment because we live near London,” she added.
“When it comes to prices, it’s probably no surprise that I also think treatment needs to be far cheaper to ensure people aren’t priced out or forced into debt to have the family of their dreams.”
She is currently undergoing fertility treatment with a kit supplied by Béa Fertility, which allows couples to conceive at home without the need for invasive hormone injections or visits to a clinic.
Last August, the NHS announced that patients would be given free at-home fertility kits as part of a trial to explore methods beyond IVF that could be used for women to conceive.
