A very young couple unable to afford IVF treatment in private hospital, they turned to the NHS for the support but NHS Authorities told Mrs Hazlewood was too young and to return in her mid-20s.
The 21-year-old said it has always been her dream to start a family and despite her age, they are ready for the next step in their relationship.
Couple Mr and Mrs Hazlewood, from Diss, who married in May 2019 last year, have taken matters into their own hands and after donating her eggs, have been offered one round of IVF treatment – but with an upfront cost of £3,000.
They tried NHS Support but she said: “They originally said I couldn’t get free IVF treatment until I was 23 or 24, so we put the idea behind us for a little while.
“We have been trying for three years and each time it didn’t happen it got more heartbreaking. So, we contacted them again and said is there anything else we can do?
“They said there is an option to donate some of your eggs and you can have a free round of IVF now, so it was a no-brainer.
“We would get what we want and I would be helping someone in a similar situation as well. “But then they told us we would still have to pay around £3,000.
Private IVF Treatment is very costly, She said “Private IVF treatment can be as much as £10,000, so it is still heavily reduced, but that is still a lot of money and after lockdown that isn’t a sum we can afford.”
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), woman under 40 should be offered three cycles of IVF treatment on the NHS if they have been trying to get pregnant for two years.
But Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) – which deliver NHS services – can introduce additional criteria before free IVF treatment is offered, such as falling into a certain age range.
Although NICE recommend that three cycles of IVF should be offered on the NHS, some CCGs only offer one cycle, or only offer NHS-funded IVF in exceptional circumstances.
News Resource – Eastern Daily Press (edp24.co.uk), August 22, 2020
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