Catherine Hill
Head of Policy & Public Affairs, Fertility Network UK
Learn how the cost of living crisis and lack of NHS-funded care are pushing fertility patients into financial despair and risking their dreams of parenthood.
Fertility Network’s report found that 95% of fertility patients are experiencing financial worries in relation to their treatment, with 92% saying those worries are being exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.
Patients, devoid of options, resort to depleting savings, remortgaging homes, borrowing from loved ones, using credit cards and selling possessions to fund fertility treatment. Left without options plus insurmountable debt, 49% say they make the painful decision to cease treatment indefinitely.
NHS funding gap fuels fertility care costs
A huge part of the financial pressure on fertility patients is down to the lack of NHS-funded treatment in the UK. National guidance states that women under 40 should be able to access 3 full IVF cycles, where a full cycle includes the transfer of all viable embryos.
However, with local health areas in control of what is funded, a cruel postcode lottery persists across the UK and leaves patients with no option but to fund their own medical care. According to Fertility Network’s 2022 research, the average amount patients pay for fertility treatment is anywhere from £13,000 to £30,000.
The average amount patients pay for fertility
treatment is anywhere from £13,000 to £30,000.
Fertility patients face risk and financial hurdles
As the national fertility charity, we are concerned about the short and long-term impact of the cost of living crisis on patients — not just financially, but also physically and mentally. Some patients discard much-wanted embryos due to financial constraints, opting for double embryo transfers over the recommended single transfer to save money.
Others have chosen to forego monitoring scans or genetic testing. All these factors have pushed patients to accept the possibility that they may never achieve parenthood.
Moving #Forward4Fertility
As Fertility Network UK celebrates 20 years of supporting those with fertility issues, we are calling on the Government to dismantle the cruel and unfair IVF postcode lottery. We also urge fertility clinics to do more to support patients during and beyond the cost of living crisis.
Most patients reported their fertility clinic had not taken any positive action to help them during this time, and we urge them to consider halting price hikes or providing payment pauses for patients who may otherwise resort to desperate measures in pursuit of parenthood.
