IVF - NHS funding advice

[runningismytherapy]

Can anyone advise, I have done a big old Google search but it’s a clear as mud (or perhaps I just don’t want to believe what I’ve found…) just been informed that ‘funding has been approved for one cycle of IVF in place only until your 35th birthday’.
I turn 35 end of September, does this mean I need to have started treatment by then? Or just be booked in with a clinic?
thanks in advance :)

Not sure to be honest. Have you read your CCG guidelines? Hopefully the info you need should be in there.

The ccg guidelines say age limit is 35 but make no mention as to whether ‘treatment’ needs to have started by 35.
We started this process in January and have been speaking with a consultant so I was hoping that might count as having started treatment but I think this might just be my being foolishly optimistic!!

Ok so I checked my ccg and it says I can be up to 39 and 364 days at the time of treatment

I would assume that means having started the ivf cycle any time before my 40th. I would probably assume you need to start before you turn 35 but it’s worth checking.

Could you start next month? Have they discussed a start time with you?

Thanks @thislittlebird.
I recon you’re right, and treatment needs to start before my 35th. Whilst I’m game for that (!!) apparently the consultant is away until 2nd September and needs to request HepB/C HIV bloods for myself and hubs, which then need doing and results obtaining, before they will send the funding confirmation to our chosen clinic.
I will do my best to get it all done in time but I’m not sure it’ll happen :(

@runningismytherapy i would give them a call and explain, push for it. Because if it’s a few days or weeks because he’s on leave (sounds like he is?) then I think it’s harsh to penalise you. They might be ok with it and let it slide because you’re waiting to start.

I guess the alternative is ignore it and hope they don’t notice but I don’t know if it gets flagged on their system or something. Hopefully they’re not that advanced.

It will be that need to have started your cycle. I would get onto the clinic ASAP and push hard. Any doctor can request those bloods so they should be able to circumvent that issue quite easily. How long they take to come back etc will be less in your control. Good luck.

@runningismytherapy I would contact them and explain- another consultant or even a nurse can sign off those bloods for you- even try your GP as long as the results are back and hit your file you should be able to start.
35 is really young for the cut off and seems unfair.

Thanks all, I will call again today and try to make some progress. I find the whole 35 age cut off thing really hard, seems very unfair :(

@runningismytherapy it is very unfair, 35 is no age these days. I only started trying when I was 36, didn’t expect to still be here 3 years later but luckily my area has a 40 cut off. You have plenty of time so there’s always the option of moving to an area with a higher cut off age, I suppose, if they get funny about it.

@runningismytherapy it's seems very unfair due to Covid my referral was delayed until I was 34 and then I turned 35 before any of my cycles started. My 2nd one was successful ( still early days) but I am 36 soon. So I would have not been allowed treatment. It's so unfair.

Well i asked the consultants PA whether this means I have to have started treatment by the end of September, she says she doesn’t know but will get the consultant to advise me on his return (2nd sept). I have asked whether in the mean time someone else could request the bloods, apparently there is no one around today, but she will endeavour to do so next week.
right now my ‘fight’ is dwindling alongside my hope!!

@runningismytherapy can you contact your GP and ask them to run the bloods and explain the situation? X

How did you get on with this @runningismytherapy? It looks like I’m going to come up against a similar issue.

Hi @QuickIVFqn
I pushed for the blood tests, and was sent an email to say the forms had all been sent to the clinic.
I contacted the clinic myself after about a week and explained my situation, she said they’d call me last week (they didn’t, and time got away from me so I didn’t manage to contact them) however she did say that she thought I would have 6 months after receiving the funding to get started. Am desperate to speak to them to find out if this is the case - 35 this week, so if not it’s game over for using the NHS.
I will try and speak to them again this week to find out what’s happening. I kind of thought being a business the clinic would be ‘on it’ and i would need to hound them less but perhaps not!! x