Irish Wedding News
01/11/2013
Currently, two cycles of IVF treatment are offered in Scotland and Wales, while in areas of England, couples can be offered up to three full treatment cycles. In NI, couples are only offered one cycle, and Infertility Network Northern Ireland is now campaigning for families in the region to be allowed to avail of further treatment.
Recent figures show that of the 1,500 women in Northern Ireland who received IVF treatment last year, a quarter were successful.
However, the Department of Health has said that financial pressures mean they are not able to offer more than one free treatment. The Health and Social Care Board spends £3m each year in infertility services, and a spokesperson is quoted as saying: "It is recognised that some regions across the UK provide a greater number of treatment cycles than the available resources currently permit in Northern Ireland.
"However, the access criteria in Northern Ireland, which were developed following public consultations in 2006 and 2009, are wider than in some other regions of the UK thus allowing more people to avail of publicly funded treatment.
"If we were to increase the number of individual treatments provided within current funding this would severely limit the number of women who could access the service."
Sharon Davidson from Infertility Network has argued that three cycles gives couples the best chance of conceiving.
"Couples know that, they're very very well educated in all of these issues to do with infertility and then they have the frustration of only getting the one NHS treatment in Northern Ireland, they know across the water they get two treatment cycles and it's really frustrating for them," she explained.
It is understood a call for the change of treatment offered in NI has reached Stormont, with an all-party working group being established to look at the issue.
(JP/CD)
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Concern Over NI Fertility Treatment
A local charity has said couples in Northern Ireland do not have the same access to NHS fertility treatment compared to other parts of the UK, UTV has reported.Currently, two cycles of IVF treatment are offered in Scotland and Wales, while in areas of England, couples can be offered up to three full treatment cycles. In NI, couples are only offered one cycle, and Infertility Network Northern Ireland is now campaigning for families in the region to be allowed to avail of further treatment.
Recent figures show that of the 1,500 women in Northern Ireland who received IVF treatment last year, a quarter were successful.
However, the Department of Health has said that financial pressures mean they are not able to offer more than one free treatment. The Health and Social Care Board spends £3m each year in infertility services, and a spokesperson is quoted as saying: "It is recognised that some regions across the UK provide a greater number of treatment cycles than the available resources currently permit in Northern Ireland.
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"However, the access criteria in Northern Ireland, which were developed following public consultations in 2006 and 2009, are wider than in some other regions of the UK thus allowing more people to avail of publicly funded treatment.
"If we were to increase the number of individual treatments provided within current funding this would severely limit the number of women who could access the service."
Sharon Davidson from Infertility Network has argued that three cycles gives couples the best chance of conceiving.
"Couples know that, they're very very well educated in all of these issues to do with infertility and then they have the frustration of only getting the one NHS treatment in Northern Ireland, they know across the water they get two treatment cycles and it's really frustrating for them," she explained.
It is understood a call for the change of treatment offered in NI has reached Stormont, with an all-party working group being established to look at the issue.
(JP/CD)
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