IVF ban in Cambridgeshire to remain 'indefinitely'

The Governing Body of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group has decided that IVF will remain unavailable to patients in the county.

They said that until they eliminate their deficit and return to a sustainable financial surplus, the IVF ban will remain.

NHS funded IVF for women under 40 is available almost everywhere else in England, but Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG is one of just four in the country that have axed it to save money.

Last month the government demanded all NHS CCGs return to providing the treatment and yesterday, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG met to discuss potentially reinstating the service.

Instead, it agreed to extend the suspension of IVF treatment 'indefinitely'.

Dr Gary Howsam, Clinical Chair of the CCG, said:

There are two exceptions to the decision ruling, they are on the grounds of:

Fertility preservation (Cryopreservation) – offered to patients undergoing cancer treatment, or who have a disease or a condition requiring medical or surgical treatment, that has a significant likelihood of making them infertile, e.g. patients who are or will be receiving specialist endocrinology services, services for rare mitochondrial disorders or endocrine treatment or surgery in relation to gender dysphoria.

and

Sperm washing – offered to men who have a chronic viral infection (primarily HIV) and whose female partner does not. This is a risk reduction measure to limit the transmission of a serious, pre-existing viral condition, such as HIV, to the woman and therefore potentially her unborn baby.

The CCG say the original decision to cut specialist fertility services has saved £598,000 in the last financial year and is forecast to save £700,000 a year in the future.