Funding for ivf?

Question

There is a question on here stating (in a nutshell) that childless couples should some how have to pay extra money to the NHS if they wish to have ivf treatment as it isn't an illness.

I think it shows a complete lack of understanding of childless people and also how the NHS works. If childless couples should be singled out to pay for their non-essential treatment then where should the line be drawn in terms of NHS funding generally?

What if you have claimed benefits for years. Should you be made to start contributing for treatments? Afterall if you only take tax money why should you be treated from an NHS funded by tax payers? I'm not saying I agree just showing one example of how you could argue the NHS could change.

I just think singling out childless couples in this way must come from someone who has never put themselves in that position and thinks that if you're told you can't have kids you just say ok and move on. NHS treat depression too afterall....

Any comments?

Lori R: I can't say that I totally agree as I know that not being able to have children is more than just a disappointemt it is very much life changing fact (and obviously not for the better). But you made your point very well and I do take some of it onboard completely. Thank you for your answer.

eireschilde: Great example to illustrate the way childless couples are treated as non of the NHS's concern by those who lack anunderstanding. The NHS is used so much to make people's lives better from many conditions which aren't life threatening but are somehow impeding on someone's quality of life. If you're born with PCOS then why should you be told to accept it and go away?

Answer 1

This is a debate that always drives me mad. I have one little boy, born in December of last year who was conceived using IVF. My husband and I were given 2 free shots of IVF and conceived on our first try.

Both my husband and I are in full time employment and always have been, we have never signed on and have paid tax for years.

I have been told that we should have had to pay for IVF as infertility is not an illness and it makes me SO mad. I have PCOS an illness which makes me unable to conceive, so why shouldn't I have received treatment.

If a person smokes 50 cigarettes a day and ends up with lung cancer or someone drinks 2 litres of vodka a day and ends up with liver failure should we refuse them treatment.

I never asked to be born they way I am, in every other aspect I am perfectly healthy, I don't smoke, rarely drink and I can count on one hand the amount of times I have visited the dr in the last 10 yrs.

Another aspect, is abortion, should we now tell anyone who wants an abortion that they should get it done privately as it isn't an illness??

Infertility is a heavy cross to bear and I know that I am one of the lucky ones, but until you are told that you can't have children it is hard to understand how devastating it can be.

I also think you make an interesting point about people who live on benefits, as they aren't paying tax should we stop treating them, of course not, but neither should we penalise hard working tax payers who require help from the NHS that is a little out of the ordinary.

I think this is a debate which will always get very varied opinions and I look forward to reading some of the answers here

Lori - I find it hard to answer the points you've made because they are very true, but I do feel that money could be freed up from a lot of other places not just IVF and I honestly don't know that if the NHS stopped funding IVF that they would put money into these cases. I feel it does open other questions about the state of the NHS and lack of funding available to those who need it and your answer did put things into perspective form me.

I can honestly say if given my choice again I would have still taken the ivf funding because my husband I couldn't have afforded to do it privately, but when there are so many people needing nhs money, perhaps it should be means tested and I do feel that it should only go to childless couples. My husband and I fully intend to have more children and will now pay for our IVF because we are in a better financial position than we were 3 years ago.


*** I had to edit this to answer brainlady's comments. None of my friends have children, my husband and I were the first. I did not have a child (nor did I want one so badly) as a fashion statement or to keep up with the jones. I wanted one to love and take care of. Yes there are a lot of children in homes both here and abroad, but I wanted to feel my child growing inside me, I wanted to feel his first kick, I wanted to carry him and care for and nurture him. I wanted to give birth, I wanted to go through labour and at the end of it look at this little miracle who had grown inside of me. Is that really so selfish.

My son is loved and adored by both myself, my husband and both of our families and is respected as his own individual self not as just an extention of us.

I think you find nowadays more people appear to be adopting as part of the fashion craze you mention.

Answer 2

My husband and I have been TTC(trying to conceive) for almost 2 years now with no success. I would love nothing more than to be able to have a child. A child isn't a "trophy" or something that you have just so you can show it off. A child is a human being that brought into this world by 2 people that love each other and want to be able to have a baby and show that baby all the love in the worl and raise it and teach him/her everything they can so they can grow up and succeed in life.

As was said earlier, I too want to be able to carry my child inside of me and feel it moving, go through labour and after all the pain and suffering be able to look into the eyes of the child that my husband and I have brought into the world and say,"Welcome to the world. I love you and always will."

You know what else. If I could afford it, I would get IVF done. I may never be able to have children without it because I have a medical condition called Endometriosis which makes it very difficult, if not impossible to conceive a child naturally.

Answer 3

All women folk employing for ivf are choose on the suitable comparable standards for treatment. have they have been given a organic and organic fertility issue. The lesbian rejected don't have a fertility issue they only prefer to apply a rather costly tax payer funded application quite then employing the slower technique of synthetic insemination. The argument made Peter Tatchell is a perversion of the theory of equality this is all to user-friendly at present which might in prepare mean more advantageous rights.

Answer 4

Now everyone can cure infertility using this natural remedy http://pregnancyhelps.info
infertility can run in the family and one of the first things the doctor asks you when you go to a fertility clinic is your family history regarding cases of infertility or other reproductive issues.
If infertility is caused by genetic disorder then it's not unusual that one of the kids (your mom) doesn't have it and another does (your aunt).
two months of trying is still to early to be concerned about the fact that you might be infertile and it's also quite early to go to a fertility specialist. Go to a regular Obgyb to get a closer insight and see what ways there are are to improve your fertility rate.
Also remove alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes from your life because they might influence your chances too. Stress is also a risk factor when it comes to infertility.

Answer 5

Hurray for sense talking at last , too many people are here to have a dig at childless couples how about cosmetic surgery for the depressed ,it occurrs and believe me more frequent than people realise. I have one child with my wife and due to circumstances beyond our control we are not able to concieve anymore naturally and yet as we are both fully paid up tax payer we are not eligible to ivf on the nhs due to having a child already, where do the rules come from eh?

Answer 6

I feel for couples who can't have children. It took me 6 years to get pregnant with my son and I was told I would never have any more kids and 3 years later I was the mother of twins! That said, I do not think the NHS should fund IVF.

My main reason being is I have a severely disabled daughter, she has cerebral palsy, has a trach to breath, is on a ventilator, a feeding tube and we are trying everything we can do to keep her with us. She is very brave and very strong and the love of my life. But funding is very limited through Medicaid for her, we have to fight to get the very basic care for her such as food (hers is special food) and immunizations. Let alone the ventilators, oxygen, standers, splints, therapy she needs.

She is not the only one who requires such care, there are millions of people out there. Seniors who just need their blood pressure medicine paid for. The mother down the road fighting to get her child's ear ache medicine covered, the man down the way with cancer and no way to pay for treatment.

If we fund IVF where is all the money going to go that helps those that are already here and in need? Its low enough as is without having to pay for something that is not a true medical necessity . Yes, its heartbreaking, yes when you are there and need the help to have a child so very desperately you think it is a true necessity but it is not. It is not life threatening you don't have a child. Heartbreaking yes but not life threatening. If that funding goes to help ivf all these other people who need the help to save their lives is going to suffer.

Answer 7

IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatment; IUI, ICSI and Laparoscopic surgery is very cheap in India. The cost is very low and the medical services are very good in India.

My cousin and her husband got their IVF treatment in India through the Forerunners Healthcare in India and is all praise for this company. She is a known case of PCOS.She is a very happy mother of a baby boy now. She just paid 2500 pounds for the full IVF treatment in India for which she was quoted 8000 pounds in private setup in UK.

Forerunners Healthcare is very famous in India. I read a lot about them in the newspapers. I have also read about a Chinese couple who planned surrogacy through the Forerunners Healthcare. They arrange financing for USA, Canadian, UK and other international patients who plan to have surgery and infertility treatment like IVF, IUI, and ICSI abroad for low price. They also have photos pasted of their International patients. You can checkout their website. There are huge cost savings. As a doctor I personally believe that surgery and treatment can be easily handled in India, as the quality of healthcare available In India is simply best in the world. The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.

http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com
Hope this helps.

Answer 8

The obsession with having babies till you're 100 these days gets me down. If people really wanted the child for it's own sake and not theirs, they would adopt one of the many that need a good life. When i see kids in inadequate wheelchairs or starving abroad- i feel the ivf money would be better spent on them. People talk about it like getting a puppy. I can quite understand the maternal/biological instinct kicking in, but in some cases it's a bit like my friends have got one so i must have one. Me me me attitude.