NHS say I'm too old at 36...

Move to Wales! You get one funded cycle in Wales, even if you have previous children.
And you are a long way from IVF. DP (who had a DD) and I went to see the fertility clinic after 12 m of trying and after the first appt were asked to come back to begin tests as soon as my next period started......it never did and DD is 2!

Good luck, try not to worry too much.

Brown you may not get NHS fundign for treatment with a child but you can get many tests - the smear, general blood tests (thyroid) etc. That all helps - as blood tests are very expensive privately I am finding!!!

sorry - I mean they may be giving out incorrect information. 34 seems awfully young to be denied treatment. Am not sure if the OP is from the USA though?

I appealed on the basis that it took my GP ages to refer me which meant I missed the cut off date by 2 weeks, they count from the referral date on the letter. I used the NICE guidelines to make my case and was told they would allow me to go through so long as I had the treatment before my 40th birthday.

What do you mean by "wrong", DF? Each PCT is allowed to have completely different criteria, so as long as they operate within those, no matter how unreasonable they may seem to us, I don't see how it is possible to overturn their decision - but you obviously managed it! What grounds did you appeal on?

They may be wrong, where I am it was something like 37 and a half at the point of referral and when I was turned down for funding I appealed witht eh health commission and had IVF a month before I turned 40. It was successful.

If you have been trying for a year then ask them to refer you to the NHS for fertility investigations. Do you have an IVF unit near you?

Don't give up, you may have to push for this.

Sorry to hear that BrownB - the postcode lottery is so unfair.

I don't know if this link is of any use, but I found it helpful. It's an interactive map. You can click on your PCT and then it tells you what funding is available. It's quite fascinating as it shows that fertility funding really is a postcode lottery, although the site does also tell you whether current policy is under review, which it is in many PCTs.

It's also of note that the PCTs are in the process of being abolished and collaborations of GP practices will be commissioning services for their patients in the future.

Brown, sorry to hear you are ttcing for so long, and are facing such difficulty..

My health insurance is 2000 euros a year and we pay 110 euros max in any month for any prescribed meds.

All IVF and ICSI and IUI are private if you earn over 36K here.

Which is why most of my friends have gone to Spain for very cheap cycles (some with donated eggs).

Best of luck with it - maybe investigate moving - I hear things vary quite a bit across the UK. And investigate going to Spain for your IVF cycles, if you can't find a cheap one in the UK?

Brown - seems like your gp is getting you the testing started, and if you can get paper copy of your results you can use them if you go privately for further testing or treatment,which will save you a lot of money! Having an uptodate smear and chlymdia test is needed to before fertility clinic will do much more - all of which you can get from your nurses at gp clinic.

I'm learning quickly that it's a whole new world and language. As far as OH is concerned we're not trying for baby we're just seeing what happens, so for now i'm all relaxed but give me a couple more months and I'm sure the frustration and fretting with kick in!

BrownB that's awful and so unfair and very worrying to those of us that left TCC until later on. I'm almost 32 and have also just started TCC... I wish you lots of luck and hope you get the help you need.

Hmm, really ?? What area do you live in, you could check with your PCT as to their guidelines re assistance? I am 37, when I went to my Dr (in Essex) (I was 36 then) she told me it was 36 - 40 in Essex but (at the time, don't know if its changed) 30 - 36 in Suffolk (and we are only a few minutes from Suffolk, phew), so each PCT may have different guidelines.

Don't let them fob you off, keep investigating.

Harrogate. You are eligible from 39 to 39 and a half. No exceptions. Great, eh? My BF has a condition that means every cycle counts and they won't relax the rules for her, even though they've told her she'll have virtually nae chance by the time she's 39.

Sorry to hijack the thread, btw...

Couple of other points:

1. our local authority (at the time) did not fund any IVF - however, my GP wrote me a prescription for the drugs. This saved about £800 and then meant we just paid for the treatment cycle (about £800). Always worth asking if GP would be willing to do this. (However, we then missed out when IVF became free as no one who had completed a cycle of IVF was eligible - grrr.)

2)Appeal - it is a young age and you might just get it paid for on a case by case basis so that you do not complain of lottery postcode discrimination.

3. Consider egg share - you will get very cheap treatment and you sound a good candidate.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

I hope that the PCT are helpful in giving you further clarification. Would also have a look at the NICE guidelines too.

Re your comment:-

"I was also complaining of some diffuse lower abdominal pain and super heavy periods however, and so she has signed me up for:

1. Pelvic ultrasound
2. A visit to the gynaecology unit
3. Late cycle hormone test
4. Early cycle hormone test"

If your diffuse lower abdominal pain is cyclical this certainly should be investigated further. However, if for example endometriosis is the root cause of the pain neither the blood tests or ultrasound scans will detect this. Bear that in mind if the blood tests and ultrasound scans do not reveal anything like fibroids (these can cause heavy bleeding).

Don't worry, it's not all positivity and intelligence around here :o

Hi Brown, excuse the french but your GP is talking utter bollox!! The NICE guidelines state that ..."all infertile women aged between 23 and 39 should be offered three cycles of treatment for free on the NHS" However, the catch is that pct's get to determine how they operate within those guidelines! You will need to contact your local PCT and ask for a copy of their service level agreement for infertility!

In the meantime, this article released June this year (after the alleged change in the guidelines)... may be of comfort to you and many others!

click here

good luck hon x