Whether or not you can have NHS funding to finance your IVF or fertility treatment is ultimately decided by your local clinical commissioning group (CCG). However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has set out a series of guidelines about who should receive NHS-funded treatment, and how much.
According to NICE, women under 40 should be offered three rounds of NHS-funded IVF treatment if they’ve been trying unsuccessfully to start a family for two or more years, or if they’ve had 12 or more unsuccessful rounds of artificial insemination.
If you’re a woman aged between 40 and 42, NICE suggests you should have one round of NHS-funded IVF treatment if you meet all of the following criteria:
Your local CCG might also have some of their own criteria; for example, they might only offer NHS-funded IVF or fertility treatment to those who don’t already have children, or to non-smokers.
Same-sex couples seeking IVF treatment can be offered funding for several rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI), In vitro fertilisation (IVF), or both.
If you’d like to know whether you qualify for fertility treatment with the NHS, the best thing to do is contact your CCG directly. Your GP can also advise on local funding criteria and whether the IVF cost on the NHS will be covered.
If you qualify for NHS funding based on NHS IVF criteria, your GP will give you a full list of IVF clinics available for referral and approved by your CCG. Should CARE be available, they will then refer you to a CARE Fertility doctor to proceed with an assessment, consultation and treatment.
From this point onwards, your experience will be the same as for anyone else who comes to CARE for treatment. For more information about different funding options, discover IVF funding with CARE Fertility.