The Cost Of IVF Treatment In The UK Is Overwhelming

The NHS across the UK also uses the BMI, an unreliable indicator of health, to police access to IVF. Katie, 31, (she/her), has been trying to conceive with her long-term partner, Pete, for nearly two years but has struggled because of her polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The symptoms of PCOS that are most directly affecting her are anovulation (absence of ovulation), amenorrhea (absence of menstruation) and unexplained weight gain. “For some time now, my BMI is over 30,” she explains to Refinery29 over email. “Because of this, I don’t qualify for fertility treatment care. I’ve been recommended by my NHS GP to take Ozempic [a diabetes medication that some doctors prescribe for weight loss], which I have been doing, but because my BMI isn’t high enough to meet the NHS criteria, I have to pay for it myself. The cost from a private dispensary has just increased (like literally everything else) from £195 per month to £225.” Katie doesn’t have financial support and says that private care could impede NHS access later, meaning she is caught between a particularly devastating rock and hard place. She is paying for her treatment by working constantly and, when unavoidable, going into her overdraft.