• Question: should everybody be able to use ivf

    Asked by lbatten07 to Claire, Greg, Jane, Jo, Vicki on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Jane Cleal

      Jane Cleal answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Everyone who cannot get pregnant naturally should be able to have ivf. If someone has been unable to have a baby because they have a problem they can have ivf treatment on the NHS, or they can pay to have ivf at a clinic.

    • Photo: Vicki Onions

      Vicki Onions answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Oh thats a tricky one
      If you mean, should everyone be entitled to IVF on the NHS, the problem is that the pot of money is not endless and so tricky decisions have to be made. For example, in some health authorities, if either the woman or the man has a child (from a previous relationship), they cannot get IVF on the NHS. While i understand why they say this, it might seem unfair. In my opinion, it would be nice if every couple with a genuine medical/infertility need who didn’t have children together were entitled to at least one cycle of IVF on the NHS – but as i said, money doesn’t grow on trees and that change in policy might stop some other funding to other areas e.g. cancer treatment….as i said, its tricky!
      On the other hand, if you’re funding the IVF yourself, then i think everyone who has a geneuine medical/infertility need should be entitled to IVF. I do, however, have issues with using IVF on women in there 60’s and 70’s who are infertile simply becasue they have gone trhough the menopause at a natural age

    • Photo: Greg FitzHarris

      Greg FitzHarris answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      theres two questions there, as I see it…
      (a) should ivf be free to all, so that there isnt a situation where rich people get better chance of getting pregnant. My opinion… yes, its really awkward that wealthier people have an advantage… but, on the other hand, ivf treatment is expensive and the NHS simply couldnt afford to fund it all. Sort that one out, then run for MP!
      (b) should there be some limits, such as — the most talked about — age? Well, yes, there should… NHS puts a limit somewhere in the region of 40 (dependent upon area of the country!)… but there should be an overall limit too — this thing we see in teh papers every so ogten where women age sventy or something have kids is just daft!!

    • Photo: Claire O'Donnell

      Claire O'Donnell answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Ideally if we had all the money the NHS needed to do everything for everyone then yes, anyone with a fertility problem that needed IVF should be able to have it. As it is we don’t have enough to do that so we have to decide who can have it. I think the fairest way is for it to be offered to people that the treatment is most likely to work for as long as they don’t have children already. If there was more £ then I’d keep the thing about it having a high chance of working but let people have IVF to have a second child.
      It’s important not to forget that after IVF comes a baby (hopefully) and you have to remember what that child will need – not just what the parents might want. I think that if a woman has passed the age at which women can’t have babies anymore naturally (the menopause usually around 50) then it’s not great for the child, their parents will die when they’re still quite young. When doctors think about treating someone with IVF they have to be sure that the people are likely to be able to look after the baby and that they understand what having a child will mean and be able to give him or her a loving home. I guess you can imagine some people who wouldn’t be able to do that.

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