Prospective parents’ chances of having a baby are being affected by long NHS waiting lists for women’s health treatments, the UK’s fertility chief has warned.
Julia Chain, chair of UK fertility regulator the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), said delays to women getting diagnoses and treatments for gynaecological issues were preventing them from starting IVF quickly, which meant it was less likely to work.
Research shows success rates reduce the later in life a woman starts fertility treatment. Around a third of IVF cycles in women under 35 lead to the birth of a baby, compared with a quarter in women aged 35 to 37, and a fifth in women aged 38 to 39, HFEA figures show.
“We know that, post-pandemic, with NHS waiting lists growing ever longer, many patients who might require interventions before they can start [fertility] treatment might be hugely disadvantaged if they have a long wait,” Chain said.
“It means they’re older when they start fertility treatment. The chance of a successful birth decreases with a woman’s age, so time really is of the essence.”
Gynaecology waiting times in England have trebled in the last decade and are growing at a faster rate than most other areas of healthcare, with women now waiting an average of four months for a first hospital appointment.
Chain, speaking at the Progress Educational Trust (PET) annual conference, said healthcare services often put treatments women needed before starting IVF – such as the removal of fibroids (non-cancerous growths in the womb) – on the “back burner” because they were not life-threatening. She warned of a “hidden cost” to failing to deal with such problems swiftly because delays to starting IVF often mean couples need more cycles, which ultimately cost the NHS more.
Antonia Harrison, 32, a doctor from Leeds, was referred in March last year for diagnostic tests to find out why she and her husband Chris, 35, were struggling to conceive. In June, she called the hospital and was told the waiting time was 52 weeks – with more than 950 patients in the queue ahead of her.
“Every month counts when you are trying for a baby. I was expecting to have to wait but I never imagined it would be so long,” Harrison said.
Feeling they had no other choice, she called back on a private healthcare number, and the same receptionist booked her in to see the same consultant two weeks later. The couple paid £1,100 for appointments and tests, which took around four months to complete, and were able to start NHS-funded fertility treatment two months after that.
“Once we had the tests, there was no problem – but there is such a blockage to getting those initial investigations that it feels like you can’t even get on the waiting list,” Harrison said. “We were in a fortunate position to be able to pay, but it’s sad and frustrating that it’s only an option for those who can afford it.”
The delays can also prove costly to couples because NHS funding for IVF is dependent on a woman’s age. Although national guidelines say eligible patients under 43 should be funded, some areas do not offer NHS IVF to women over 35. Without NHS support, many couples cannot afford fertility treatment and are unable to start a family, Chain said.
Sarah Norcross, director of PET, said: “Fertility treatments may not be ‘urgent’ in the official language of the health service but, as far as patients are concerned, such treatments are a matter of considerable urgency.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “NHS staff are working flat out to bring down Covid backlogs while also contending with record levels of pressure. The latest data shows the waiting list went down for the first time since the start of the pandemic, so it’s vital women continue to come forward for care when they need it.”
