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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think some older women having tax payers funded ivf are hypocrites?

816 replies

Spiderbug · 19/05/2026 10:39

There seems to be a substantial group of people who are ok with calling teen mums a waste of their tax money but then leave child bearing too late and expect the tax payers to foot the bill for their multiple ivf cycles which costs the tax payer up to 100 million a year.

Hypocrites!!!

OP posts:
coulditbeme2323 · 19/05/2026 12:59

And OP lets be honest getting knocked up at 15 isn't a good idea is it?

You might call that judgement - but it's not ideal for either Mother or baby.

StacieBenson · 19/05/2026 12:58

moggiek · 19/05/2026 12:57

Completely agree.

What do you think a good reason is for infertility?

moggiek · 19/05/2026 12:57

AmazingGreatAunt · 19/05/2026 11:00

This is certainly going to be a very unpopular opinion, but I do not think anyone should be having IVF on the NHS.
That is not what it was set up for.
Call me a Luddite, but if it isn't happening naturally there is probably a good reason.

Completely agree.

MrsShawnHatosy · 19/05/2026 12:51

ComfyKnickers · 19/05/2026 11:30

Personally I don't think that IVF should be funded by the NHS. No-one has the 'right' to have a child in my opinion.

But I'm sure that many people will disagree loudly and emotionally.

No no one has the right to have a child. But if people are in the position of being unable to conceive naturally, they should at least have the chance to try with medical assistance. IVF carries no guarantee of success.

if you only have to have sex with your partner to get pregnant it is very easy to say that IVF should not be available on the NHS.

landbeforegrime · 19/05/2026 12:49

This is a very odd post. who is treating teen mums as one specific group that "wastes" tax payers money? Jeff Bezos was born to a teen mum. different country - I don't know if she was a drain on the tax system over in the US but I doubt it and her son probably made up for it if she was (depending on your view of Amazon etc.). Teen mums may end up costing more over a lifetime, but also there can be older mums who presumably also end up being net beneficiaries over their life time. I think it's also more than fair that if someone has prioritised work and their career (and therefore has been paying tax) and then decides to have a family but have fertility issues then of course they should be given IVF (and we will never know if it is purely age related). The alternative is we re-structure society so that women are not financially disadvantaged at all if they decide to have kids in their early 20s and postpone their career etc until they are in their late 30s and ensure that young families can afford a family home etc etc before they invest their time and energy in their own personal wealth creation. This won't obliterate the need for ivf. I am an older mum (37 and 40 when my kids were born). I did not need ivf. I have paid so much in tax (and continue to do so) that even if i did get ivf on the NHS then I would still be a net contributer over my life time. I don't care what age someone has a child, but if they start making up reasons to have a go at "older mums" then I absolutely think you are being unnecessarily divisive. You may know a couple of people who have views you don't agree with but maybe you should think about how representative they are of "older mums" before you decide its a phenonmenon worth posting about. It also seems like you have a massive chip on your shoulder. Is your daughter a teen mum? Why are you so angry about a problem that doesn't exist?

PrettyPickle · 19/05/2026 12:46

You are comparing chalk and cheese. The comment tries to paint older women as judging teen mums and then expecting sympathy for IVF. But there’s no evidence these are the same people.

It assumes older women are “choosing” to delay. This is where the comment gets morally loaded and unfair. Women delay childbearing because of Housing costs, Education, Career stability, Lack of childcare, Lack of a suitable partner and Financial insecurity. It’s not “selfishness”. It’s structural. And many older women seeking IVF aren’t “career women who left it too late”, they’re women who had miscarriages, medical issues, relationships break down and apent years trying naturally. So your stereotype is lazy.

Teen pregnancy is strongly correlated with poverty, low educational opportunity, Lack of contraception access. And infertility is more common in: Women with endometriosis, Women with PCOS, Women with prior medical issues
These aren’t moral failings. They’re health and social realities.

You are framing IVF as a luxury, not healthcare. Infertility is recognised by the World Health Organisation as a disease. IVF isn’t a spa treatment. It’s medical care. And the NHS already restricts it heavily:

  • Age limits
  • BMI limits
  • Relationship requirements
  • Number of cycles
  • Regional “postcode lottery”
It’s one of the most rationed treatments in the NHS.

YOUR comments are hypocritical, it tries to paint older women as judging teen mums and then then expecting sympathy for IVF. But there’s no evidence these are the same people. It’s a rhetorical trick: Invent a villain → condemn the villain → feel morally superior. Classic Mumsnet AIBU bait.

IsEveryUserNameBloodyTaken · 19/05/2026 12:40

SapphireSeptember · 19/05/2026 12:12

My mum. She's been with my dad for 38 years, works, and they've been living in the same housing association house since 1996 (and she's the only one on the tenancy agreement.)

You misunderstood the point the previous poster was making.

Cantbelieveit888 · 19/05/2026 12:40

It’s understandable that being judged as a 15-year-old mum felt unfair and hurtful. Ideally, women should be supportive of each other, especially in vulnerable situations, rather than criticising.

But calling those same women “hypocritical” for later using NHS-funded IVF doesn’t really follow. You don’t know their individual circumstances or medical history. Infertility often isn’t something people can predict or control, and for many it only becomes clear over time. A friend of mine, for example, has been trying to conceive since she was 27 and is now 39 considering IVF. If she had only started trying at 39, she wouldn’t have known she had difficulties at 27.

It’s completely valid to feel hurt about how you were treated as a teen mum, but extending that frustration into judgement about people accessing fertility treatment is doing the same thing you’re criticising.

Bigstopsign · 19/05/2026 12:40

Mapletree1985 · 19/05/2026 12:38

I don't think the NHS should be paying for anyone to have IVF. The purpose of state-provided health care is to keep people alive and functional.

I’d be interested to know if the nhs pay full price when nhs patients choose a private clinic . UK IVF is extremely expensive compared to other countries

Mapletree1985 · 19/05/2026 12:38

I don't think the NHS should be paying for anyone to have IVF. The purpose of state-provided health care is to keep people alive and functional.

CopeNorth · 19/05/2026 12:37

Spiderbug · 19/05/2026 11:20

Well you do because what reason would it come up in conversation ? I can tell you almost everyone I came across when I was 16 treated me like shit for being a teen mum. But it’s socially acceptable to have IVF on the nhs because you wanted to wait till you were past your fertile prime? Again not a criticism of everyone who has IVF just the hypocrites

Sadly, I’m sure teen mums are judged and I think that’s awful. But struggling with fertility is not an easy road. Maybe everything could go round a little easier with a little bit of kindness and not assuming all people think the same as the person you know.

IsEveryUserNameBloodyTaken · 19/05/2026 12:37

SapphireSeptember · 19/05/2026 12:06

Untrue. Everyone pays VAT.

So where did the money come from that a 15 year old spends money on to pay VAT.

CJsGoldfish · 19/05/2026 12:36

Considering that 70-75% of IVF is privately funded, your 'argument' falls down at the first hurdle. Then you inflated the costs to try and make a point.

There is a big difference between a child deciding to have a baby knowing they'll be taking from a system they've never actually paid into and a woman who has (along with partner) more than likely contributed to the system, likely for many, many years.

You've compared 2 different scenarios of mothers deciding to have a baby. Why not provide accurate, and balanced costs of both?. What teen parents cost The cost to taxpayers (often of many years) of teen parents choosing to have a baby v the cost of a round or two of IVF for those who can access it.

Taxpayer funded IVF is not a never ending round of cycles until you are successful. I'd guess that there are a LOT of women who end up having to pay privately.

You don't know how people are funding their IVF. You just seem to have a chip on your shoulder but you don't get to decide that your perceived 'meanies' don't get to access what is available to them 🤷‍♀️

BudgetBuster · 19/05/2026 12:36

Are you still 15 @Spiderbug

Bigstopsign · 19/05/2026 12:35

Hobnobswantshernameback · 19/05/2026 12:31

Finally a reason to vote reform 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I can’t wait for NigeNet ! Will we get q and a sessions with Elon and Tommy ?

Rivertrudge · 19/05/2026 12:32

And do you actually know anyone who meets those criteria, or are you just being childishly goady?

Hobnobswantshernameback · 19/05/2026 12:31

Finally a reason to vote reform 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Coffeeteasugar · 19/05/2026 12:31

AmazingGreatAunt · 19/05/2026 11:00

This is certainly going to be a very unpopular opinion, but I do not think anyone should be having IVF on the NHS.
That is not what it was set up for.
Call me a Luddite, but if it isn't happening naturally there is probably a good reason.

My friend is having it because a cycle or 2 of IVF will be cheaper in the long run than medicating a child with a degenerative genetic disease and using IVF they can pick out the eggs that are unaffected.

BIossomtoes · 19/05/2026 12:30

Allisnotlost1 · 19/05/2026 12:29

Reform are going to stop people shitposting on Mumsnet?

😂

Allisnotlost1 · 19/05/2026 12:29

BorisBigBalls · 19/05/2026 11:58

Hopefully when Reform take over this nonsense will stop.

Reform are going to stop people shitposting on Mumsnet?

IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos · 19/05/2026 12:29

Spiderbug · 19/05/2026 12:26

I am not judging. This is biologically the age fertility starts to fall off. That’s a fact not my own judgement

A biological fact that fertility begins to decline, yes. Not a biological fact that all mums from 30 onwards are old.

Spiderbug · 19/05/2026 12:26

Reachforthestars00 · 19/05/2026 12:24

30 is old? For someone who did not liked being judged, you are very judgmental of others ...

I am not judging. This is biologically the age fertility starts to fall off. That’s a fact not my own judgement

OP posts:
thesurrealist · 19/05/2026 12:25

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Bettermuseli · 19/05/2026 12:25

There are some benefit bashers on Mumsnet but not the majority by any means. Without other information I guess that a teenage mum got pregnant accidentally and decided to go ahead rather than terminate, which is understandable.

Reachforthestars00 · 19/05/2026 12:24

Spiderbug · 19/05/2026 11:58

Honestly 30. Yeah I know it’s average these days but fertility peaks in your mid twenties. And again I’m only judging those who judge young mums if you don’t then this isn’t about you

30 is old? For someone who did not liked being judged, you are very judgmental of others ...