How Much Does IVF Cost NHS

What is IVF?

IVF or in vitro fertilisation involves the fertilisation of the woman's egg by the man's sperm outside of the body - usually in a glass dish. The fertilised egg or 'embryo' is then implanted into the woman's womb. This method of intervention has led to the use of the phrase 'test tube babies'. The procedure is used to help couples who are finding it impossible to conceive naturally and is most commonly used to help women with polycystic ovary syndrome or blocked fallopian tubes and men with poor sperm quality. It can be carried out using the couple's egg and sperm or with donor eggs and sperm. Each attempt (cycle) at IVF treatment is expensive, so there has to be a limit on how many times the treatment is provided to each couple by the NHS.

Who is eligible for IVF Treatment on the NHS?

In 2004 the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) provided guidelines for the NHS stating that 3 cycles of IVF should be provided for couples in which the woman is between 23 and 39 years of age. The couple should also have a diagnosis for their infertility or have been trying to conceive without success for at least 3 years.

In reality however, not all couples who meet these criteria are able to access IVF on the NHS. This is because different areas of the UK have different demands on their healthcare budgets. Some primary care trusts have had to stop providing IVF treatment altogether (for the time being at least) while most others have had to reduce the number of cycles of treatment given to women from three to just one or two. A Department of Health study in 2008 found that two thirds of Primary Care Trusts offered only one cycle of treatment per couple.

What does IVF Treatment cost the NHS?

IVF treatment costs the NHS an average of £5000 per cycle. Around 12,000 women per year undergo IVF treatment on the NHS. This means that based on the fact that most women will only receive one cycle of IVF from their Primary Care Trust, the cost to the NHS is around £60 million per year.

Because NHS treatment is so limited, a further 30,000 attempts at IVF are carried out at private clinics every year. This can prove very expensive to couples and most can only afford a limited number of attempts. In the UK there is also a limit on the number of embryos that are implanted back into the woman in each cycle; usually just one or two. This is in order to remove the risk of multiple births, but this also means there may be a reduced chance of falling pregnant.

This factor, combined with the high cost of IVF in the UK has led to an increase in women going abroad for IVF treatment. IVF clinics in countries such as France, Greece and Cyprus offer implantation of up to six embryos in one cycle. However when this treatment results in twins, triplets or quads, the burden on the NHS can be enormous.

The antenatal and special post natal care required by twins costs the NHS £9,000 while triplets require £32,000 worth of medical attention. This is because babies from multiple pregnancies are more likely to be born prematurely or with complications which require extra care, as well as the cost incurred by the extra risks to the mother's health.