Posted: 23/04/2012 at 16:15
My husband and I are currently having fertiltiy investigations, but if we are required to have IVF, which is looking very likely as we have a diagnosed male factor problem, we will be affected by the postcode lottery. We are under Warrington PCT but are seeing a fertility consultant at the Liverpool Women's Hospital.
On recieving my husband's diagnosis (low sperm count, with poor motility & morphology) the consultant told us our best option would be IVF with ICSI, if we lived in Liverpool or the surrounding area we would be entitled to 2 rounds of funded IVF. As funding isn't available to us, we have gone for an alternative option, where my husband is currently taking a course of anti-oestrogens in order to hopefully improve his sperm count. We've been told this has a 1in3 chance of this having any effect, but will not necessarily increase our chance of concieving.
I think until you have been through the heartache of infertility, no one can truly undestand how it makes you feel. To be told funding has been suspended in order to save costs as it isn't a medical need is insulting. My husband has done nothing to cause his infertility, yet others that drink heavily, over-eat and have generally poor lifestyles that lead to diabetes or heart & lung problems are treated without a second thought.
I don't necessarily think all women should be given 3 full cycles, as that is extremely costly to the NHS, but it shouldn't be a lottery as to whether you get 3 or none. If funding is tight then I think all women should be given at least one funded cycle and it should at the least be equal across the board.
We're lucky in the fact that we will be finacially able to fund our first IVF cycle privately, but my heart goes out to others that just by living in the wrong postocde should have to go without!
