IVF after abusing kids?

[SassyPearlEagle]

Sorry, first time posting and I'm not sure where to ask this. Bit of a grim question.

For anyone who works in the fertility industry: are there any circumstances in which a couple would be denied IVF treatment, because of previous child neglect/abuse?

There's a situation in my family right now - I'm afraid to share details just in case she/anyone recognises this. In short, I'm alarmed at the prospect of her getting pregnant again. A baby would very likely be neglected, and I'd only hope that SS took it away fast enough this time. (Her previous kids were all removed after years of severe neglect and more, which she doesn't seem to give a shit about. How she escaped punishment I've no idea)

I can only find info on "who is allowed IVF" via NHS funding. Cynically, I expect that private clinics are just happy to take the £££ and don't care about children being created in dreadful circumstances. But if there are actually limits/rules then I'd love to be proven wrong. She's already fucked up numerous kids for life, and I can't see why she 'deserves' more chances to do it again.

Yes. One of the consent forms is called “welfare of the child” and has questions about social and medical history. A fertility nurse or doctor can refuse to sign the form & allow treatment if there are serious concerns. However, of course patients can lie & not disclose things!

What does that have to do with the erroneous point you tried to make? IVF clinics can make their own assessments about suitability of clients for treatment. That doesn't mean they or anyone can refer a potential pregnancy to social services.

It sounds like she is not eligible for NHS funding, having already had multiple children and private IVF costs thousands of pounds. Does she have this money?

Anyone can refer anything to social services. The only question is whether social services respond.

Im pretty sure that stuff was asked on our ivf form but can’t remember if it was followed up in any way! If this family member goes through with it Im sure an anonymous message could be sent. Also they contact your gp who would know.

Are social workers never involved before birth then? Even when other children have been taken away or if there’s active drug addiction for example?

Yes, when women are pregnant! The argument being made by several people on this thread is that OP can refer the potential pregnancy to social services and that something could be done about it. And it can't.

Anyone can try to refer anything but if it doesn't fall under their remit then of course they won't respond. You could refer potholes in the road or elder abuse or car theft to (children's) social services but they aren't going to do anything about any of that. Just like they won't do anything about a woman planning to conceive via IVF.

When we first went to the GP after ttc for 18 months, this was 34 years ago, the GP did nothing except refer us to gynae outpatients. Did not do any tests or anything. When we went private - we needed ICSI which was new and not routine back then) the GP practice didn’t want anything to do with it. There was a feeling back then that the NHS resources should not be spent on infertility at all.

Fortunately it seems IVF clinics do have some concern for potential children where the parents have previous involvement of social services, even if social services themselves don’t.

If she hasn’t even been involved with a clinic and is not pregnant, them what on early are SS going to be able to do?

All she has to do is deny it anyway. They can’t be on standby for every parent who is a risk in case they one day attempt to be pregnant again.

There is literally no pregnancy folks. A midwife or family member is supposed to refer once one exists.

Denser than concrete custard 🥴

Gosh, wasn't expecting so many responses. Thank you all, reading through them now.

I'll definitely report to SS if I hear she's pregnant. But I was hoping it could be prevented. She was drinking and doing drugs in the previous pregnancies. At least if she does that again, the baby would be taken ASAP, hopefully? Not ideal though.

I don't know how she'd fund it. Chaotic lifestyle, endless abusive/druggie boyfriends, you know the sort. She never even asks about her kids (in the care of other relatives) so fuck knows why she wants more.

Yes but this child hasn’t been conceived yet!! You can’t assess a child that hasn’t even been conceived 🤦🏻‍♀️

Any UK clinic would require GP name and address and contact them. The GP should be able to raise concerns through sharing of information around safeguarding. I’m not saying there couldn’t be potential for missing info and slipping through gaps but I would hope not. Any ethical clinic wouldn’t pursue treatment.

Not if she moved to a different LA. What would raise concerns would be her medical records, as you keep the same NHS number. But if you don't engage...remember Constance Martin, who was trying to evade detection when she got pregnant again after having had children removed.

Christ, not another one!

How about you rtft as the answer to your question has been hammered home by a few pps. For all the good that's done....

This actually isn’t the. IVF clinics can only contact GP with patients permission due to GDPR.

@EmBear91 I would be incredibly surprised if any UK IVF clinic would proceed without GP details. In most cases including private you require GP input for PMH and other details. It may be the patient is asked to provide details and give permission but I would be surprised if a clinic proceeded without those details. It’s very commonplace to have GP input either in referral form or summary PMH letters.

I’ve posted earlier on the thread that my IVF clinic in the south of England said some patients tell their GP they had a spontaneous conception. There was zero obligation nor any persuasion to give GP details if the patient didn’t want to for some reason. As it happened it was my GP who had recommended the clinic but the conversation was very clear that some people wanted to really limit the sharing of information that they had IVF even with their own GP (maybe they were holding out for NHS-funded IVF treatment and didn’t want any record of private treatment but the clinic said some people preferred to pretend they had no issues).

I work in IVF. And no - there is a specific consent form (consent to disclosure) that patients fill in to confirm who we can share information with. Including GP. Of course if a patient is having NHS treatment, then they will often be referred through their GP however that isn’t the case with private treatment & a GP is not routinely contacted & never without permission from the patient.

On one part of the form you can select for the gp not to be notified of treatment