Latest news with #IVF
BBC News
14 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
IVF cycles funded by the NHS could be reduced in South Yorkshire
The number of IVF cycles funded by the NHS in South Yorkshire could be cut from two to fertility treatment is funded by the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) but it is reviewing whether providing two rounds on the NHS is too 200 people a year in South Yorkshire access IVF services and about 20-30% of couples progress to a second South Yorkshire spent nearly £900,000 proving the treatment in 2021-22 but health chiefs said they need to "balance the books and focus resources on the services that matter to communities the most". An ICB report said: "We know that infertility is a very difficult issue for those affected by it. "We are faced with difficult decisions, including considering whether IVF services should continue to be funded as they currently are."Maintaining the current level of provision would mean we would need to consider our investments in other areas of healthcare to ensure we are using our resources efficiently."The NHS has been asked to prioritise access to care, such as GP appointments, elective treatment in hospitals and to improve waiting times for urgent and emergency care, such as the length of time waiting in an accident and emergency department."The NHS has a duty to break even each year and secure the best investment for the funds to provide high quality care for local people." 'Value for money' The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends offering up to three full cycles of IVF to eligible women under 40 and one full cycle for eligible women aged England, the number of NHS funded IVF cycles varies significantly - 67% of health boards only offer one cycle, 19% offer two and 10% offer three. The regions neighbouring South Yorkshire all offer report added: "A reduction to one cycle of IVF would bring us in line with most other parts of England and would be the best way to ensure value for money whilst maintaining a service that we know is important to people who are affected by it."The ICB will meet on Wednesday 23 July to discuss the proposals ahead of a five-week consultation. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Irish Times
15 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
One in six Irish couples will struggle with infertility – what are the options?
The average cost of raising a child from birth to the age of 21 was put at almost €170,000 in an eye-watering report in May, a 60 per cent increase since 2015. The figure, gleaned from a survey of 1,000 presumably financially-scarred parents in Laya Life's Cradle to College Cost Index, covered everything from essentials such as nappies and baby formula through to pocket money, family holidays, Communion and Confirmation gifts, third-level fees and rent supports. But for one cohort of people, the financial challenges around raising a child begin years in advance of shopping for cots or even maternity wear because of infertility issues. Fertility treatments are not cheap. One round of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in a private clinic costs as much as €6,500. READ MORE With an average of three rounds considered standard per couple and tests and other medical exams heaped on top, IVF can cost about €20,000, with no guarantee of success. Sarah Magner (46), a pharmacist, and her husband, Darren O'Brien (43), a teacher, self-funded their four-year IVF journey at a cost somewhere between €40,000 and €50,000. The couple used up savings and worked extra jobs; Magner as an assessor in the Irish Pharmaceutical Union and O'Brien worked as a photographer, while the couple lived as frugally as they could. Even so, the costs and disappointments continued to mount. 'I only met my husband when I was 35, so I was over the hill fertility-wise and when nothing was happening for us, I went to my GP when I was 37, who referred me to a fertility clinic,' says Magner. 'We did one round of IVF and got one free embryo transfer and it didn't work. And we kept trying – again, the first attempt didn't work but the second embryo did and we had our daughter who is now six. 'The third transfer didn't work, the fourth resulted in a miscarriage and then it was in the middle of Covid and we found ourselves out of embryos, and the IVF clinics were closed. So we contacted a clinic in Ukraine to try again and after our second round, we found out we were pregnant with my son, who has just turned three.' Sarah Magner and Darren O'Brien's two children, Meadhbh and Iarlaith. Photograph: Darren O'Brien The costs racked up, with the first round of IVF in a private clinic, which produced one embryo, at €6,000. The second round cost €12,000, in which eight embryos were produced and the first transfer was included in the cost, with each subsequent transfer costing €1,500. The couple also paid another clinic €10,000 and a further €1,000 for transfers along with extra costs for any tests carried out along the way. [ 'Injecting yourself daily is difficult to navigate at work': Managing fertility treatment while working Opens in new window ] 'It sounds stupid, but if they ask you to have a test for €300 or €400 for something, there is a part of you thinking of the thousands you've already spent and how €400 on top of that wasn't actually that bad,' says Magner. 'It all becomes relative to that huge amount of money you've already invested into IVF. All those tests add up, and if you go down the supplements route, which I didn't because of my professional background, you are looking at even more costs. 'Ukraine was slightly cheaper overall; we spent €8,000, plus flights and accommodation.' Magner and O'Brien's journey through IVF spanned from 2017 until 2021 and the huge financial squeeze on the household reflects that of thousands of others in Ireland. 'It's a big financial outlay no matter how you look at it,' says Caítriona Fitzpatrick, chairwoman of the National Infertility Charity, which provides support to and advocates for people seeking fertility treatment. One round of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in a private clinic costs as much as €6,500. Photograph: iStock She said the charity sees many people at their support meetings who 'get a credit union loan, sell a car, borrow from family members, or take on a second job' to fund fertility treatment. 'This financial burden tends to come at times when people have lots of other financial demands such as marriage or buying a house.' 'If IVF is unsuccessful, it's absolutely devastating for a person because they've put a huge amount of emotional and mental time into this, as well as the huge costs, and they can come out with nothing at the end of it.' But is there any financial relief on such fertility costs? Well, like most medical expenses, you can claim tax back on the cost of fertility treatments at the standard rate of 20 per cent. So, if you paid €5,000, you can claim €1,000, once you have not claimed these expenses elsewhere, such as from a private health insurance provider or through compensation. Any drugs required as part of the fertility treatment can be acquired under the Drugs Payment Scheme, where you will pay a maximum of €80 per month for all approved prescribed medicines. [ Employee who took time off work for IVF treatment wins €10,000 for unfair dismissal Opens in new window ] If you have to travel abroad for fertility treatment, such as Magner and O'Brien, there is also an allowance to claim 20 per cent back on treatment expenses in a hospital or clinic. And if that treatment isn't available in Ireland, travel expenses can also be claimed. The Health Service Executive (HSE) estimates that about one in six heterosexual couples in Ireland may experience infertility – an issue the World Health Organisation labels as 'a disease of the male or woman reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse'. However, progress to make assisted human reproduction treatments more affordable and transparent remains slow. Unlike all other EU countries, Ireland still has no specific legislation governing the area of assisted human reproduction treatment, though that is expected to change in the coming months, with a board and staff currently in formation. 'Fertility treatment through the public system is only available since September 2023, along with the announcement of six regional hubs and the first partnerships with private clinics, but this is being rolled out very slowly,' adds Ms Fitzpatrick. 'There are a lot of restrictions around that too and we have been told that when the regulatory authority is in place, they'll be able to expand that into donor conception and other areas to allow more people to avail of the public system.' Time off work is another contentious issue in the fertility treatment debate. There is currently no legislation requiring employers to allocate paid leave or time off for important appointments or indeed, disappointments, during an IVF journey. Qualifying couples, and primarily women, must first meet strict requirements to avail of the state-run Model of Care for Fertility service. Photograph: iStock But, in the absence of statutory duties, more and more employers are taking the lead in offering supports when it comes to compassionate leave. Bank of Ireland, and Lidl are among those offering additional leave days for those seeking IVF treatment. Others are even more progressive. University College Cork offers employees five additional paid leave days per cycle, up to a maximum of three cycles, while PwC provide eight days of paid leave for fertility consultations and appointments. Ms Fitzpatrick also says the charity sees more employers 'seeking our advice or looking to create an internal policy' around supporting staff undergoing fertility treatment. Although, she says this 'varies widely' from proactive employers to those dealing with a staff requests on the matter. 'It would be very beneficial to see some guidance given to employers around this and certainly when the new regulatory authority is in a position to draw from the data around the whole area of fertility treatment in Ireland.' Since the introduction of the State-run Model of Care for Fertility, run in conjunction with the HSE's National Women & Infants Health Programme, which also includes intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, 2,300 couples have been referred for assisted human reproduction treatment as of last month, with hubs receiving an average of about 550 referrals a month. But qualifying couples, and primarily women, must first meet strict requirements to avail of the service. Aspiring mothers must be under 41 at the time of GP referral to a regional hub, while men must be under 60, and the aspiring mother must have a body mass index (BMI) of between 18.5 and 30. 'We have asked for the criteria to be medically reviewed... [Here's] one example, we had one person contact us and there was male infertility in the relationship, but because her BMI is over the criteria, the couple are not allowed to apply for the scheme even though she has no fertility issues,' says Ms Fitzpatrick. [ Even with funding, infertility is a hard and lonely road Opens in new window ] 'This seems incredibly unfair that she was penalised for a male infertility issue. If it's male fertility issue in the need for IVF treatment, do we still need to be looking at woman BMI in terms of criteria?' Ms Fitzpatrick says educating people on fertility journeys and the limitations in the State's offering should be a priority because often assisted human reproduction is only on a person's radar when conception becomes a problem. Also, individuals going down the treatment route alone, using sperm donors, can incur costs of more than €5,000 depending on the number of sperm straws required. And that journey is not catalogued by any State scheme. 'There's a bit of a historical hangover in this country around contraception and having children, but when somebody decides they do want to be a parent and struggle to conceive, the HSE scheme will only fund couples not individuals,' adds Ms Fitzpatrick. 'From a really practical perspective, we will always advise people on this journey to start with their GP, who will refer them into the public health system. That is covered and funded so it's worth being in the public system even if they can't take you the full length of the journey. 'Even reaching out to someone such as ourselves – can help as everybody involved in the charity has been part of the process at some level.'
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
The babies born with DNA from three parents
Clips: Sky News Eight healthy babies born after IVF using DNA from three people Support the Guardian:
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
World's longest-surviving octuplets speak publicly for the first time as they defend their controversial single mother who gave birth to them using IVF despite already having six other children at home - before turning to porn and rehab to cope
The world's longest-surviving octuplets have spoken publicly for the first time to defend their controversial single parent, who was once dubbed the most hated mother in America after giving birth to them. Natalie 'Nadya' Denise Suleman, 50, from Fullerton, California, became famous in 2009 for welcoming eight babies at once using in vitro fertilization (IVF) after her physician implanted 12 embryos in her womb. Her story shocked the world, however, public opinion rapidly turned against the woman American media nicknamed Octomum, after it emerged that she had six other young children, no partner and was receiving welfare benefits. She would soon become one of the world's first 'influencers', with a US publication 'paying for access' to Natalie's daily life, resulting in critics claiming she was neglecting her children, who were filmed using their toilets outside, graffitiing and smashing holes in walls. But despite her fame, the mother struggled to support the additional children almost from the beginning. She defaulted on payments on a house she bought in 2010, and the lender foreclosed. She has earned money by doing a porn video, posing topless for various publications, dancing in a Florida strip club and taking part in so-called celebrity boxing matches. She has previously relied on welfare benefits, however it's unclear when or exactly how long for. In 2012, she checked into rehab for an anti-anxiety drug (Xanax) addiction. A year later, she stepped away from the spotlight and returned to her 'old profession as a therapist working 40 hours a week' and wore face coverings whilst in public to avoid unwanted attention. Now, after spending 13 years 'hiding' from the public eye, the mother of 14 has returned to the limelight - this time alongside her children, who have spoken out on TV for the first time to praise their parent. Noah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Josiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Maliyah and Makai are only the second full set of octuplets to be born alive in the US - and not all of the previous set survived longer than the first week. Like Natalie's six older children, the octuplets were conceived by in-vitro fertilization. After learning that her physician had actually implanted 12 embryos in her womb, the state Medical Board revoked his license. The mother has never disclosed the identity of the father but it's said that all 14 of her offspring have the same sperm-donor parent. Natalie and the octuplets have re-entered the public eye in a new Lifetime documentary called I Was Octomom, which was released in March, alongside a partnering docuseries called Confessions of Octomom. For UK audiences, footage from the productions featured in Channel 5's Octomum: The World's Most-Hated Woman?, which premiered on Sunday. Speaking to the camera alongside her 16-year-old octuplet siblings, one of Natalie's daughters praised their controversial mother, saying: 'Our mom's a very caring person. 'She's very kind and funny. She loves to make sure that everybody's safe. Everyone says she's overprotective, but I say that she's over caring, and I'd rather have a mother who obsesses and over cares than a mother who doesn't care at all.' Discussing her offspring, while sitting next to two of her eldest children, Natalie said: 'They have grown into incredibly well adjusted, just kind humble, grounded, loving human beings.' Her story shocked the world, however, public opinion rapidly turned against the woman American media nicknamed Octomum, after it emerged that she had six other young children, no partner and was receiving welfare benefits. Pictured on her eight children's 13th birthday 'See, she thinks she messed up. She really didn't,' insisted one of her daughters, to which the mother replied: 'Oh well, I thought I did, but no.' Discussing the children's appearance in the documentary, one of Natalie's harshest critics, celebrity psychiatrist Carole Lieberman, admitted: 'The children seemed more put together than I would have expected. 'She has kept them safe and healthy, and she does deserve credit for that,' added the expert, who years earlier had wrote to Child Protective Services, claiming Natalie was not psychologically stable enough to be a mother to six children, never mind 14. The psychiatrist's letter was in response to a frantic emergency call that the mother had made while pregnant with her eight children being shared by the media. In the call, Natalie said her young son had gone missing before he soon turned up at home, having gone on a walk. After the audio was released to the press, more and more people questioned the mother's ability to raise her 14 children safely. At the height of the controversy, Natalie received death threats, Child Protective Services were called and critics suggested the children should be adopted. Even the singleton's mother questioned her decision, while her father staunchly supported her and helped her purchase a four bedroom home. Prior to this, she had been living in her parents' three-bed house with her six older children. Following the birth of the octuplets, it emerged that Natalie conceived the babies after her fertility doctor Dr. Michael Kamrava implanted 12 embryos in her womb, even though he initially told her he only put in six and the recommended amount is just two. Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman has been offering glimpses into the lives of her and her 14 children after spending 13 years in 'hiding' from the public eye. She is seen above in the trailer for her new docuseries Such a scandal ended with the doctor's medical license being revoked - and the Octomom confessed in March to People magazine that she regretted not suing the doctor. She said: 'I definitely regret that because his insurance would've been the one paying, and it would've been some millions, and it would've been helpful for my family. 'I regret that I kind of threw myself under the bus to cover for him, and I shouldn't have but I was grateful,' said Natalie, who suffered with endometriosis, which made getting pregnant naturally a challenge. She continued: 'I wouldn't have had any of my kids if it weren't for his innovative technique. No one else in the world did this type of procedure so I didn't have it in my heart to sue him.' Natalie's first child through IVF, Elijah was born in 2001. Then she welcomed Amerah in 2002, Joshua in 2003, Aidan in 2005, followed by twins Calysah and Caleb in 2006. In 2008, she returned to Dr Kamrava for another round of treatment after the doctor told her she had frozen eggs left, and she didn't want them destroyed, reported Sunday's Channel 5 documentary. Crisis manager Wendy Feldman told the production: 'The doctor who did that for his own experiment. That's a monster. You have to look at her as the victim of first the doctor, and then public opinion.' However, Dr. Kamrava later claimed that Natalie knew about the 12 embryos and he was fulfilling her request. But she insisted she was unaware of what was going on. The mother joked to People magazine this year that she 'may have possibly overachieved with kids' as she 'didn't intend on having this many,' saying that when she went in to have IVF for the pregnancy that resulted in octuplets, her goal was to have 'just one more.' As for why she wanted to build a large family in the first place, Nadya partially attributed her ambitions to her own childhood, since she wasn't happy as an only child. Her octuplets were born by caesarean section at 31 weeks in LA - and miraculously were all healthy. Hearing such a rarity had been performed, news stations from across the world descended on the hospital where Natalie gave birth, trying to discover all they could about the mother who so desperately wanted to stay anonymous. Eventually locals revealed that the singleton already had six children at home and journalists eventually tracked down the then 33-year-old, who was receiving disability allowances and lived with her parents. Such was the interest in the mother's story, that when her children were finally able to head home from the hospital, several weeks after the birth, Natalie needed a police escort to get through the large crowds waiting outside her house. Once home, the mother was provided free nannies and childcare by a charity. However, Natalie sacked the staff months into their role, claiming they were spying on her. The nannies hit back on national TV, claiming the parent was an unfit mother, the house was chaotic and that Natalie hardly spent any time with her children, instead relying on others to look after them. So instead, Natalie relied on her parents and the church, but also parented mostly alone - allowing cameras from a US publication to record her every move. But eventually, the deal with the press came to an end and the mother-of-14 was left heavily in debt. Relying on food stamps and welfare to feed her children, she held garage sales, sold pictures of herself for $10 and promoted beer. She would eventually go onto try and become a celeb boxer before turning to porn, releasing one video, filmed on her own. But it is a decision she deeply regrets - and it only added fuel to the fire of hate closing in on her. While the mother - and as of recently, a grandmother to one - has expressed regret with her decision to work as a stripper and a nude model, the trailer for her Lifetime documentary revealed her children also sharing their perspective on her brief adult content career. 'When someone comes up to you at school and asks you "is your mom a stripper?" You don't know what to say,' one of her older sons said in the trailer. 'I did whatever I needed to do to make ends meet. And that was shaming myself, sacrificing my integrity,' she said. 'I had just given birth to eight, I could not financially afford them. I was struggling,' Natalie added in the trailer. 'I was really desperate to make any money.' She had previously described the life she was 'leading was not only destructive' but also very 'dark.' 'It was the antithesis of who I am as a person,' she said. In 2013, Natalie stepped out of the spotlight to find peace as she returned to her 'old profession as a therapist working 40 hours a week'. The Lifetime trailer also featured Natalie behind the wheel, driving around Los Angeles while dressed in a face covering, sunglasses and a hat to remain unrecognisable. The protective barrier 'helps with her social anxiety' she explained to People. 'Nobody knows - they look and they look away,' she said. 'It doesn't draw any attention because people don't want to look and stare.' In the interview ahead of the docuseries release, Natalie shared that becoming famous - or infamous - was never a part of her plan. Natalie - who has been married once but claimed it was essentially loveless, and now reportedly identifies as asexual and has abstained from sex for 25 years - described herself as a 'socially awkward, painfully shy introvert' - the opposite of what one would expect given her life's trajectory. She sued the hospital she gave birth at for violating HIPPA, accusing them of leaking her information and launching her into the spotlight to begin with. The mother also revealed that she paid for the IVF herself using money she had saved up while working as a psychiatric technician at a state psych hospital. 'I've been waiting a very very longtime to tell my true story and I believe the world is ready to hear it,' Natalie said in the LIfetime trailer.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Londoners are leaving it later and later: How to conceive in your late thirties
Rising costs of living, career focus and access to IVF means that in London, mothers are likely to have babies far later than elsewhere in the country. Nationally, the average age of women having their first child in the UK is now 31, but in London that is much higher: 63% of women living in London have children past the age of 30, and the capital also has the highest birth rates among the over-40s. As a 36-year-old woman I'm surrounded by friends and family who are waiting to procreate until they have achieved certain work milestones, reached a level of financial comfort, or are just generally, more mentally prepared. The decision to delay makes sense - having a baby later in life means that you are older, (probably) wiser, (hopefully) richer, and more likely to be emotionally mature enough to handle being slapped by a toddler. But, the choice to hold off on having children comes with its own perils and gambles, as the ever-looming spectre that is female fertility haunts us at every turn. Most of us aren't quite sure what's going on in our ovaries and exactly what state they are in. Are they ok down there? Is there anything we can do to make them feel more comfortable? Should we install surround sound to keep our eggs content for longer? Get a chaise longue? Do they need higher thread count sheets? Thankfully there are, apparently, things that we can do to optimise the path to conception and give ourselves better odds. According to MyFLO app founder Alisa Vitti, who will be speaking at London's upcoming Health Optimisation Summit, age shouldn't incite such paralytic fear when it comes to fertility. As the creator of the 'Cycle Syncing Method', she's an expert in hormonal health. Overcoming her own difficulties with PCOS and infertility to conceive her first child at 37, Vitti is the poster woman for her method's success and believes that her approach can help others to avoid fertility problems. When I asked her what some of the most common misconceptions were surrounding the topic of fertility for women in their late thirties, she highlighted a slew of misunderstandings. For one, she challenges the medical view that women's fertility universally declines in their late thirties, believing this to be far too simplistic. According to Vitti, everyone's hormones and ovaries age differently according to diet and lifestyle choices made in their late 20's and early 30's and there isn't a specific birthday when we all wake up and suddenly find ourselves barren. Vitti also highlights the fact that many of us don't realise that there are steps we can take to improve our fertility, and wants to show that IVF isn't the only solution available when we're met with reproductive roadblocks. But fear not, if you were like me and lived a Bridget Jones-adjacent lifestyle in your 20's, there are still changes you can make in your daily life to help improve your fertility. Vitti recommends monitoring your cycle via a period tracking app to gather insight into your cycle length, symptoms, and regularity, and you can also get at-home kits to specifically check a range of hormones relevant to fertility. Cycle syncing is also something she cites as beneficial, which is the process of aligning routines, activities, and diet to the phases of your cycle in order to enhance fertility. Limiting alcohol, she also says is important, as is eating regularly to maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Skipping meals and chronic dieting are two things that she states as counterproductive to fertility, and she also emphasises the importance of protecting your melatonin levels by getting plenty of sleep and using blue light blocking glasses. Vitti also describes how your cycle is an essential biomarker for your health and fertility - and that there are some tell-tale signs you can look out for to gauge your fertility. PMT, for one, can indicate that you aren't producing enough progesterone, a hormone vital to conception and maintaining a pregnancy through to week 12. Cycle consistency is also important, with irregular periods possibly signalling a fertility problem. The length of your period and volume of blood per cycle is also important to pay attention to - with a short (four day or less), light period potentially pointing to insufficient estrogen levels. While the road to motherhood is different for everyone, Vitti believes that these lifestyle adjustments can help many to overcome hormonal health difficulties and make it smoother for women in their late thirties to conceive. Instead of seeing our fertility as an irretrievable object flung off a cliff at the age of 35, Vitti seeks to shed light on the fact that women's reproductive health is something that can be protected, and even improved. While the topic of infertility can be a raw and difficult subject to navigate, Vitti hopes that by giving women more insight into their cycles and hormones that they can feel more empowered to make changes, instead of feeling like a victim of the inevitable. I didn't get the chance to ask Vitti if our ovaries are also partial to a chaise, but I'm sure that setting one for them wouldn't hurt either.
