Rabu, 23 Mei 2012

Women in their 40s and same-sex couples may be offered IVF on NHS for first time

Women in their 40s and same-sex couples may be offered IVF on NHS for first time

  • Nearly 8,000 women aged 40 to 42 had IVF privately  in 2010. Each cycle costs £3,000 on the NHS

By Claire Bates and Sophie Borland

PUBLISHED: 18:01 EST, 21 May 2012 | UPDATED: 16:34 EST, 22 May 2012


Thousands of women over 40 could be eligible for fertility treatment on the NHS under new proposals published today.

IVF is currently only recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for women aged 23 to 39 because the chances of success decline rapidly with age.

However, NICE is now considering offering one full cycle of IVF to women aged 40 to 42 in draft guidelines which will now go to public consultation.

Women struggling to fall pregnant could soon be offered IVF up to the age of 42 on the NHS

Women struggling to fall pregnant could soon be offered IVF up to the age of 42 on the NHS

The health rationing body will also advise the health service to offer free IVF to gay and lesbian couples as long as they have tried - and failed - to have a baby at least six times using a private fertility clinics.

Its previous guidelines did not specifically state that such couples should not be offered treatment and all bar a few NHS trusts do so.

Each course or 'cycle' of IVF costs the NHS about £3,000. Nice does not know how much its proposals are likely to cost the taxpayer every year.

But the most recent figures for 2010 show that nearly 8,000 women aged 40 to 42 have IVF privately. If all these women had had their treatment on the NHS it would have cost £24million.

Dr Gill Leng, Deputy Chief Executive, NICE, said: 'Infertility is a medical condition that can cause significant distress for those trying to have a baby.

'This distress can have a real impact on people’s lives, potentially leading to depression and the break-down of relationships.

'However, in many cases infertility can be treated effectively â€" there are thousands of babies and happy parents thanks to NHS fertility treatment â€" which is why the NHS provides services and why NICE produces guidance on the topic.' 

She added that there had been many advances in both treatments and in the understanding of different fertility techniques since the last guidelines were published in 2004.

'For this update we are using the latest statistical and clinical evidence to make sure that treatment for infertility is offered at a time and in a way which is most likely to result in pregnancy,' she said.

The new guidance would a lso mean that women aged under 39 would be eligible for three cycles of IVF after two years rather than having to wait for three under the current rules. They also appear to remove the lower age-barrier of 23 for treatment.

However, there are concerns that many cash-strapped health trusts will ignore the guidelines. Last year a report by MPs found that three quarters of health trusts were refusing to fund the recommended three courses for eligible couples.

Specific recommendations have also been put forward to limit the number of embryos implanted during treatment as multiple births create more risks for both mother and children.

In 2004 it was recommended no more than two embryos should be transferred during a cycle. Now NICE recommends single embryo transfer for women under 37 and in women under 39 if there is at least one top-quality embryo.

Dr Leng added: 'New groups of the population have also been included in this update. Thes e groups include people who are preparing for cancer treatment who may wish to preserve their fertility, those who carry an infectious disease, such as Hepatitis B or HIV, same-sex couples and those who are unable to have intercourse, for example, if they have a physical disability.

'The aim of these new and updated recommendations is to ensure that everyone who has problems with fertility has access to the best levels of help. We are now consulting on this draft guideline and we welcome comments from interested parties.'

When published, the update will replace some but not all parts of the original fertility guideline. Until then, NICE said NHS bodies should continue to follow the recommendations from the current guidelines.

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

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Has someone come across a mine of gold? Why are we wasting money on this when there are people who are ill and who NEED treatment. Stop wasting money!

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Reading between the lines, The Government, wants the people who get free IVF to vote for them, even if it bankrupts the NHS.

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Same sex couples to be offered public funded IVF before all cancer patients have the drugs they need to cure or prolong their lives? This is PC gone mad.

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How about saving existing lives first instead of shelling out for self made lifestyle choices to be rectified after these women change their minds. No different from cosmetic surgery.

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No one should have IVF on the NHS. It is not a life threatening illness. Couple should have to pay themselves if they want children not the rest of us, who will have to then also pay for child benefit and childcare. It is a misuse of public money

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""if you can't afford IVF, How can you afford a child?" jan, worthing, 22/5/2012 17:54 The difference is that with IVF you'll need to suddenly come up with thousands of pounds in a short space of time. Could you do that? The cost of raising a child is spread over many years, you don't have to find the whole amount at the start, and of course there are maternity pay, child tax credits and child benefit which go some way to help too." - SJP, UK, 22/5/2012 20:20 As the answer shows in reality they can't - lets try to get it straight you CANNOT afford a child if you have to take into account "maternity pay", child tax credits and child benefit - taking those into account and your really saying you want the rest of the population, including those without kids to help you afford yours.

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The NHS should simply be there to save and prolong life - lifestyle choices should be paid for, doesn't matter of it's a child for someone who can't conceive naturally or a boob job. When every cancer patient etc has their drugs fully funded, if there is anything left in the kitty then they can think about about doing "nice to have treatments" - now wheres this public consultation ?

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Why shouldn't same sex couples get ivf treatment i myself a lesbian would love to have children and would more than likely love and care for that child more than most parents out there. Why should i not have the opportunity to have children just because me or my partner cannot produce sperm? And for all you out there saying we could just find any man out there and sleep with them why should i have to? If a women is in a relationship with a man and cannot get pregnant would you tell her to go and have sex with some other man? And am sure the man wouldn't be happy with that as i would still class that as cheating even if it is to get pregnant!

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What a waste of NHS funds should be used for the likes cancer patients,The NHS was not set up for trophy kids for same sex couples, or other free loaders who come here to use the NHS. - canucthetrees, worcester, 22/5/2012 12:36 ---------- I'm sorry, but if IVF is "just nature's way" so then are most illnesses - especially those we are genetically predisposed to die from.

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I am so upset by this potential change. Where my husband and I live we receive no support from the nhs due to the fact that my husband already has a chold from a previous relationship. We are working hard to save for IVF.

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