New Draft For Eligible Free Fertility Treatment

New draft guidelines for fertility treatment on the NHS have been released by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

The new guidance, currently open for consultation, proposes that the eligibility criteria for free IVF and other fertility treatments set out in 2004 be extended to encompass a number of new groups including:

• Women aged 40-42, provided there is no chance of them conceiving naturally and they have not previously had IVF treatment.
• Same-sex couples.
• People unable to conceive naturally due to a physical or psychological impediment.
• People due to undergo cancer treatment likely to make them infertile.

The proposed updates reflect both an expansion in the range of people requesting fertility treatment and improvements in technology over the past few years.

Some have questioned whether Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) will be able to afford treatment for those who fall under the new eligibility criteria, but others have pointed out that the actual numerical increase is likely to be small in the short term. In addition, eligibility for free treatment is not a guarantee of receiving it: approval is at the discretion of the local PCT, given budgetary constraints and likelihood of effectiveness. Current overall success rates for the proposed new category of women aged 40-42 for example, are under 15%.

The draft also proposes a number of changes in both advice and procedures given to those trying to conceive, including updated advice for people carrying infectious diseases such as HIV, and standardising the transfer of just a single embryo during the first IVF cycle rather than the current guidance of ‘no more than two embryos’.

The Deputy Executive of NICE, Dr Gill Leng, said "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". The full draft guidelines are available on the NICE website.

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