IVF funding

[Wishful30]

Hey,
I've just spoke with my GP who is sending a referral off for IVF.
But I've been doing lots of googling and I'm worried that it is no longer available in my area 😫
Could anyone advise is IVF is available on the NHS in Essex at all??
Thanks

Fertility fairness has a link to each ccg's policy, if that is of any help?

Thankyou, I'll take a look. But from what I can see it's not looking promising

@Wishful30

Hey, I've just spoke with my GP who is sending a referral off for IVF. But I've been doing lots of googling and I'm worried that it is no longer available in my area 😫 Could anyone advise is IVF is available on the NHS in Essex at all?? Thanks

Depends where you are in Essex. Where I am basildon and Brentwood CCG no rounds but in Thurrock 3 rounds and I think southend 1 one. If they are sending you a referral and it’s nhs you are incredibly lucky x

West Essex and north east Essex get 3 attempts on NHS according to this x

It depends on where you are in Essex. It’s a postcode lottery especially in Essex

Thanks ladies.
I'm mid Essex so I believe I won't be accepted but I find it odd my GP
Is doing the referral if mid Essex aren't supporting ivf. Surely she would know this and not waste her time?

@Wishful30

Thanks ladies. I'm mid Essex so I believe I won't be accepted but I find it odd my GP Is doing the referral if mid Essex aren't supporting ivf. Surely she would know this and not waste her time?

Really does depend on your postcode/GP. Maybe your GP just meant they are referring you to fertility clinic at the hospital? X

@shazzz1xx

West Essex and north east Essex get 3 attempts on NHS according to this x

Not sure what the Columns all mean but I think this info is out of date as Peterborough comes under Cambridgeshire and they dont offer IVF AT ALL now

So my GP called and advised IVF is not available in my area under the NHS...

Well... now I gotta magic money from somewhere coz I certainly can't get a loan 😑

Thankyou all for responding. Much appreciated and I wish you all luck on your journeys x

Hi @Wishful30 - I know it doesn't help massively with your situation. But I would advise looking at ABC IVF. They have clinics all over England and it's 2.5K all in.

Admittedly I have paid extra, £100 for initial consultation, 1k extra to freeze my eggs for 18 months (I dont mind that extra cost because I'm lucky I was able to get a couple to freeze) And then £50 the other week as I needed some hormone tablets to prepare my body for Frozen Embryo Transfer.

I had a round on the NHS last year and I have to say the difference in care is dramatic, theres a rumour that ABC IVF is Shoebox IVF but I have to disagree. They have catered to my every need and I can't rate them enough for my experience personally. We were very apprehensive at first due to how cheap it is. We got a quote to go private at the same clinic we had our NHS round on and it came out at 8K... which we were not in a position to pay for at all without getting some kind of loan. But at 2.5k we already had that saved and a little more, so it was a god send.

Good luck with everything, if you have any other questions I'm happy to answer xx

@Dot457 Thankyou.
I'm post meltdown now and have informed hubby.
I have contacted ABC as we're physically not able to afford any of the others.
I've joined their webinar this Thursday.
Their criteria is 37 and under with BMI of under 30.
I'm 37 with a BMI of 32.4 so guess who on chicken and rice for the foreseeable future (I have to be on a low fibre diet so veggies are not my friend unfortunately)
Couch to 5k here I come!! 🙄😂
Will still need a loan for this but somehow we will make this work!

@Dot457 Thankyou.
I'm post meltdown now and have informed hubby.
I have contacted ABC as we're physically not able to afford any of the others.
I've joined their webinar this Thursday.
Their criteria is 37 and under with BMI of under 30.
I'm 37 with a BMI of 32.4 so guess who on chicken and rice for the foreseeable future (I have to be on a low fibre diet so veggies are not my friend unfortunately)
Couch to 5k here I come!! 🙄😂
Will still need a loan for this but somehow we will make this work!

@Wishful30

I took a 5 year loan out to fund part of my IVF - £275 a month

I know a lot of people think they can't afford private IVF but the monthly loan cost is a lot cheaper than full time childcare when a baby comes along (£800-1300 a month) or the cost of dropping a salary to be a stay at home parent

@Wishful30 the postcode lottery is pretty rubbish. Perhaps though you can get initial testing on the NHS which might give a clearer indication of where the problem lies (if there is an identifiable one).
They may also be in a position to offer an HSG to check your tubes or medication like Clomid so a referral to fertility services if possible isn't necessarily a waste of time.

Good luck.

@Wishful30
I'm on the same boat, moneywise, that's why I decided to have my IVF abroad, where it is more affordable.
I'm wishing you the best of luck!

@Wishful30 I am not from Essex but Warwickshire however we are not entitled to NHS funding as we already have a child. But my GP referred me for tests at the local NHS fertility clinic. And we had free on the NHS the initial consultation and all of our tests - ultrasound for me and sperm anayalsis x 2 for my husband. We had to pay then for a consultant appointment for these results and to interpret what we needed (cost of £170). All of the treatments we have had from then on we had to pay for. We are just about to start ICSI under that same NHS hospital fertility clinic but as a private patient. Also we didn't really have much of a wait for these tests. Had an telephone appointment booked approx 2-3 weeks after the GP referred and then all the tests done within a month of that. So if money is an issue it might be worth looking if you can have the tests on the NHS, will save a little money (saved us approx £700 I think) and means you know what the issues are before paying out.