Lack of funding for Infertility in the UK

[shantala]

hi everyone

as you will all have seen on here over and over again couples have to give up their dream because of MONEY (or lack of!)....i (and a number of other women) think this is a disgrace....in the UK we do not have insurance to cover our attempts and the NHS (national health service) rules are very strict...for example, if either of the couple already have a child, you cannot get funding....so here i am at 21 years of age with a husband who already has a child but who also has very low motility and count, and we cannot get IVF/ICSI on the NHS. we have to pay and have just paid £4500 ish. how? by taking out a loan and selling my husband's motorbike...if this doesnt work (which, lets be fair, the odds are against us!) then i dont know what we'll do....we're looking to take out a second mortgage at the moment so that the pressure is less if this first time doesnt work.....what i'm saying is, just coz my dh has a child with ANOTHER woman...thats not MY child...i didnt carry that little one and give birth to it and raise it...and yet the government is against me...

so....thats just my situation and i know there are 100s more out there that cannot get treatment....too old, too young...blah blah blah (oh and by the way if my dh didnt have a child, i'd be too young to have treatment at our local hospital, which is an hour away...one has to be 39 to get free treatment there!)...

anyway, some of us on the dec/jan thread have thought about doing something about this...i thought about starting up a petition to our government (the lovely Mr Blair) and then stumbled across a petition already going asking for more funding to be allocated to infertility. You can get more information and sign up to this on:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/INFERTILITY/

I've already done so and so have 469 people so far but we need a lot more people than that for our government to take us seriously! Very unfortunately only UK residents can sign up for this....

if you dont agree with this then please accept my apologies...

thanks

shantala x

[k]

Hi Shantala

Our IVF was an NHS cycle, so I feel very lucky that we were successful first time and havent had to struggle because of finances. Lets face it, infertility is bad enough but the added stress of having to pay so much for treatment just adds to it.
I think the rules regarding funding for IVF etc on the NHS and the postcode lottery are bizarre. I can appreciate there has to be a limit somewhere but I think its only fair to offer the same treatment across the country. I will certainly sign up to the petition.

I wish you all the best with your treatment.

Love Kim

[michelle_in_scotland]

Hiya Shantala,
Our IVF was also on the NHS, i'm not too sure but i think the ruling for NHS treatment is a bit different here in Scotland than in England. Our Health Board offered us 3 free cycles.
I had to have a total freeze all after my egg collection as i was at risk of OHSS but the 2 FETs i had were still classed as the first cycle, so if my 2nd hadn't worked we would have still been able to carry on and start cycle no2. We were also told if we did have a baby and we still had frozen embies left we would be able to at a later date go ahead and have another FET to try for a sibling as they were still part of cycle no1. Unfortunately all our embies got used. So if we wanted to try for a sibling for Kady we would have to pay ourselves.
We feel so privileged that we were able to get treatment on the NHS, there would have been no way we could have afforded to pay for it ourseves and our gorgeous little girl wouldn't be here with us now.

I do think it is wrong that a lot of people aren't able to get free treatment, it is a medical condition after all and why else do we pay National Insurance every week out of our wages - to fund the NHS and get the medical treatment we need. Drug addicts and alcoholics (who have probably never worked a day in their lives) get free treatment for their self inflicted conditions, so why can't a couple in a stable and loving relationship who work for everything they have not be able to get treatment to have a child??
It's a messed up world we live in.
I'll gladly sign the petition if it will help anyone have a much longed for child. We've been there and know how it feels. Who knows, maybe in time it will even help couples who had a successfull outcome try for a sibling. Can't see that happening though but it would be nice.
Take care and good luck with your upcoming treatment.
Lotsa love

Michelle
xxx

[Lavender1]

Just to have my moan....Neither of us had any children,and STILL had to find the money and go privtae. We needed ICSI/IVF but because the 'problem' lied with DP as opposed to myself - no help. All we got on the NHS were 3 seman samples, all of which we had to fight for, and came back 0 sperm count etc, and got told "well if there's no sperm, then you can't get pregnant can you." I deliberately don't put a question mark after that as the stupid doctor in question said it as a statement. We now are the very proud parents of a 6 month old baby boy - all ours! Shows how much she knew, stupid cow.

I'll definitely be signing.
x

[Lavender1]

In fact I'm emailing everyone I know with the link to really feel I've done my bit! x

[shantala]

hi ladies

i'm so sorry i havent replied any sooner but my email didnt let me know anyone replied to this thread!!

anyway, i couldnt agree with you all more and thank you so much for signing thr petition. i do think its a disgrace!!

k - yes, this all is stressful enough without having to worry about the costs. we've paid up now by selling my dh's very much loved motorbike and getting a loan but if this doesnt work and we dont get any frosties, then what?? like you said, the added financial stress really isnt good. i understand and agree that a line has to be drawn somewhere but where the line is drawn at the moment is just rediculous!!

michelle - 3 cycles on the nhs is great!! the HFEA recommendations over here are 3 cycles on the nhs as the success rate rises after 3 cycles but for some reason this recommendation very unfortunately hasnt been taken up by clinics. i couldnt agree with you more that we pay our taxes and it is a medical condition and yet alcoholics and druggies get their treatments free!! it certainly is a messed up world.

lavender - haha, glad you proved your stupid doctor wrong and congratulations!!!!!!!! its even worse when NEITHER of you have any children!! imagine if you couldnt possibly go privately...you would have never had this chance and that is just wrong. anyway, congratulations again!!!!

ladies, the best of luck with your treatments!! take care

xxx

[ann argent]

edited

[julesg]

Hi

Just to say I have signed the petition and to bring the thread to the top so that others (in the UK) can see it and sign

We were very lucky we got two free goes and Caitlin was born after the second embryo transfer
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/INFERTILITY

PLEASE PLEASE SIGN IT BEFORE 5th MAY
Julie

[shantala]

thanks Julie!!! and congrats!!!

xxx