Most NHS England boards offer only one round of IVF

Millions of women in England are able to access only one round of IVF on the NHS because of health authority cutbacks, in contravention of official policy, research from a fertility charity has shown.

- Rachel Hall

Nearly 70% of local areas fund just one cycle for women under 40 who have been unable to conceive for two years, rather than the three full cycles they should be offered in line with official guidance, according to data collected by the Progress Educational Trust (Pet).

Twenty-nine of the 42 integrated care boards (ICBs), which control local NHS budgets, now only offer the one round, after four reduced access.

Sarah Norcross, director of Pet, said the impact was "devastating" for those couples who were struggling with infertility.

'Infertility is already incredibly stressful for people, and it puts them under even more pressure'

“Infertility is already incredibly stressful for people, and it puts them under even more pressure, because there is so much riding on whether that one NHS-funded cycle is going to work. And for some people, that will be their only chance, because private fertility treatment is so expensive.”