A poll run by woman’s magazine SHE has revealed that a staggering two-thirds of women would move house if it meant they could access free NHS IVF treatment.
Over 1,000 women were quizzed about infertility in the survey, with one in four revealing they had actually visited their GP over concerns about their fertility, whilst 80 per cent knew someone who had had problems getting pregnant.
Many women also admitted they had suffered financial difficulties through needing infertility treatment, and more than one in three had suffered depression as a result of their fertility problems.
Now SHE magazine has launched a ‘Fairtility’ campaign on the back of their survey, to fight for better NHS IVF treatment for all, no matter where you live.
Currently, several NHS Primary Care Trusts in the UK – including Trafford, Stockport, Bury and Warrington in our local North West region – have either drastically slashed IVF budgets or cut the funding for IVF treatment all together, leaving many women with limited or no access to free NHS IVF treatment because of a ‘postcode lottery’. This is despite NICE recommendations that eligible women are given three cycles of IVF on the NHS.
It’s great to see women’s media being more vocal and using their clout to shout about the current lack of funds used for people who need IVF treatment. Infertility is not something you have by choice, it is an illness and those who suffer from it should rightly have access to treatment, regardless of their postcode.
As SHE magazine’s editor Claire Irvin says, infertility is something that affects tens of thousands of women across the UK, and should be given the priority it deserves.
Last updated: 20th January 2020
