One of the most commonly asked questions we receive is about NHS funding and eligibility.
It can be really difficult to find out who is entitled to what, as the criteria changes dependant on the postcode area of your GP. Each ICB (Integrated Care Board) has its own fertility policy about decides what treatment it will fund and what criteria must be met. This also differs when it comes to the number of IVF cycles.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guidelines make recommendations about who should have access to IVF treatment on the NHS in England and Wales.
But individual NHS integrated care boards (ICBs) make the final decision about who can have NHS-funded IVF in their local area, and their criteria may be stricter than those recommended by NICE.
NHS trusts across England and Wales are working to provide the same levels of service, but currently the the provision of IVF treatment varies across the country.
Generally ICBs may have additional criteria you need to meet before you can have IVF on the NHS, such as:
- not having any children already, from both your current and any previous relationships
- being a healthy weight (BMI)
- not smoking
- falling into a certain age range
Read more about funding on our website where we have dedicated a section to the different options of care, as well as an FAQ Costs and funding | The Hewitt Fertility Centre