The NHS has introduced steps to reduce regional variation in the provision of IVF.
Infertility Network UK, working with the Department of Health, has produced access criteria to help the local NHS provide equal services for fertility patients across the country.
Key points in the new criteria published today relate to smoking, weight and children from previous relationships.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence's (NICE) guidelines recommend an upper body mass index limit of 30 for IVF treatment, and that patients shouldn’t smoke.
Infertility Network UK’s new guidance aims to help women who wish to undergo IVF treatment to meet the criteria, stating that where needed they should be given advice on diet, and on physical activity and offered psychosocial support to bring them within the accepted BMI range at the time of treatment.
Women should be informed about the negative effect of smoking on both the health of the unborn child and on the success of fertility treatment, and referred to a smoking cessation clinic to help them stop, says the guidance.
And it states that local health services should provide IVF for those who do not have children, including couples where one partner is childless.
Speaking at an IVF conference in London, public health minister Gillian Merron said: “It is good news for people seeking fertility treatment that the NHS is making excellent progress in providing fair and consistent access to IVF.
“The option to become a parent is something most of us expect to have. People who cannot conceive naturally should have access to NHS treatment, just as they would for any other clinical need.”
Clare Lewis-Jones, Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK, said: “We are delighted that there are such positive moves towards providing couples with fair and equitable access to fertility treatment.
“Much progress has been made recently, but there is still a long way to go in terms of standardising access criteria and full implementation of the NICE guidance, including the number of cycles provided. We hope that this will help the one in six couples affected by infertility to access the treatment they deserve.”
The number of local health services offering three cycles of IVF treatment has increased by 22 percentage points in the past year, according to a new survey. Now, 27% of primary care trusts offer three full cycles of treatment – up from just 5% in 2007.