Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)

We got vicious hate mail when I became first test tube baby .. I hope couples with fertility problems don’t get that today

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between £3,000 to £11,000, couples face an increasing lottery as access is restricted. st 12% of UK clinical commission­ing ups offer couples the recommende­d e rounds, and seven se treatment. Louise has chosen the anniversar­y to remind healthcare chiefs that the technique, pioneered by British scientist Robert Edwards and obstetrici­an Patrick Steptoe, was meant for everyone.

She said: “It must be devastatin­g for couples to be told there is no help. It is unfair if it depends on where you live as to whether you can get IVF treatment or

how much you pay. That situation is the same in the US, where some insurance covers IVF but most don’t.

“Access to treatment also varies enormously across EU countries.

“My mum and dad were quite poor, when they first got together they were sleeping rough in a railway carriage.

“Bob Edwards, who pioneered the technique, was keen that it should be something all people could benefit from.

THE boss of the world’s first IVF clinic has urged the Health Secretary to end the procedure’s rationing that is traumatisi­ng thousands of women.

Dr Mike Macnamee, who helped build up Cambridges­hire’s Bourn Hall clinic, said: “The postcode lottery we are working with at the moment is Of course when money is tight organisati­ons like the NHS have to make tough decisions.

“Infertilit­y is often caused by a medical or physical problem that can be overcome by the right treatment and I support those people campaignin­g for it to be available as widely as budgets will allow.” The sons she has with husband Wesley Mullinder – Cameron, 10, and

scandalous. It is such a shame to pick on such a vulnerable patient group.”

The 12% of areas in England now offering the Government’s recommende­d three cycles is down from 24% in 2013.

NHS England said: “Parliament has decided these are legally decisions for clinical commission­ing groups.” Aiden, four – were conceived naturally but she said if she needed it she would have tried IVF. Aiden’s middle names are Patrick Robert, in a tribute to the late pioneering medics.

Louise spoke of the devastatin­g impact infertilit­y can have on mental health, after her mother Lesley was diagnosed with depression after failing to conceive. Lesley went on to have Louise’s sister Natalie via IVF but failed to have a third child using the treatment.

Defending the advancemen­ts in techniques, Louise added: “As long as the scientists and doctors act ethically, and people understand the consequenc­es, then it is important that progress is made.”

 ??  ?? NAPPY DAYS Louise is a champion of fertility help rights LANDMARK DAY Lesley and John with their precious daughter and, left, Louise as a teenage nursery nurse
NAPPY DAYS Louise is a champion of fertility help rights LANDMARK DAY Lesley and John with their precious daughter and, left, Louise as a teenage nursery nurse
 ??  ?? D ment eer Bob ards at wedding 04
D ment eer Bob ards at wedding 04

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