Closed petition Fund 3 rounds of IVF for all couples who cannot conceive naturally
NICE guidelines state if you are a woman aged under 40 you should be offered 3 full cycles of IVF if you have been trying for more than 2 years. Yet CCGs set their own criteria which means IVF is not offered to many couples, including where they or their partner already have a child.
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I want the Government to make IVF more accessible for all. If you can’t have kids naturally you should be offered help, regardless if it’s your first or second child. Couples are being penalised for having a medical issue that prevents them extending there family.
Out of all infertility causes, secondary infertility makes up about 50 percent of all cases. More needs to be done.
This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months
Related activity
New Women's Health Strategy published by the Government
On Wednesday 20 July the Government published the first ever Women's Health Strategy for England. This document sets out the results of the consultation the Government ran in 2021 on women's health, and the actions it is taking to improve the health of women and girls.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay MP, made a statement on the Strategy and took questions from MPs in the House of Commons, to coincide with the publication of the strategy.
The Secretary of State's statement outlined the key ambitions and elements of the Strategy. These include:
- Ensuring that women are better listened to in the NHS
- Better access to services for all women and girls
- Addressing the lack of research into women’s health conditions
- Better information and education on issues relating to women’s health
- Targeted action on specific areas such as fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, and female-specific health conditions such as endometriosis.
Actions the Government has said it will take to help achieve these goals include introducing mandatory teaching and assessment on women’s health for all graduating medical students and incoming doctors, and undertaking new research and data gathering to increase understanding of women's health issues.
You can read the Strategy in full on the UK Government website. The Strategy only covers England as government policy on health matters is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Commitments on fertility care
The Strategy commits the Government to working with NHS England to address geographical variation in access to NHS-funded fertility services across England. This includes more equitable access to fertility services for female same-sex couples, and an end to non-clinical eligibility criteria used by some Clinical Commissioning Groups.
It also states that the Government will explore publishing data nationally on the provision and availability of IVF, to drive greater transparency of the provision of IVF services across the country.
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Fertility treatment and employment rights debated by MPs
On Tuesday 1 November, Nickie Aiken MP led a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on fertility treatment and employment rights.
Watch the debate, read the transcript of what was said, and access other relevant material:
Information page: Fertility treatment and employment rights
What are Westminster Hall debates?
Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons.
Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.
Debates in Westminster Hall take place on ‘general debate' motions expressed in neutral terms. These motions are worded ‘That this House has considered [a specific matter]'.
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Sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.
MPs debate IVF provision
On Tuesday 24 October, MPs debated access to IVF (in vitro fertilisation). During the debate, MPs discussed a number of issues, including concerns about national inconsistencies in access to funding for IVF and the use of BMI (body mass index) as a method of determining eligibility.
The debate was led by Kate Osborne MP. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Maria Caulfield MP, responded on behalf of the Government.
What are Westminster Hall debates?
Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons.
Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.
Debates in Westminster Hall take place on ‘general debate' motions expressed in neutral terms. These motions are worded ‘That this House has considered [a specific matter]'.
Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament
Sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.