I spent £50k to have my son
ISABELLA Lafferty was in her early 30s when she spent £50,000 on IVF after being denied it on the NHS because her partner Clive Hatchard had children.
Although NICE recommends that women under 40 who have failed to conceive naturally for two years should be offered three IVF cycles on the NHS, local clinical commissioning groups set their own restrictions for a woman whose partner is already a father from a previous relationship.
After several attempts paying privately the couple had a son, Charles, in 2013. Miss Lafferty, an accountant from West London, said of the NHS stance in her case: ‘It was very disappointing for me. The fact he’s had children doesn’t mean I don’t want them. We still wanted children together.’
She added: ‘Women who struggle with fertility problems go through all sorts of anxiety, depression, trauma. If the NHS can buy a cycle for £2,000 or £3,000, why shouldn’t they do so?
‘We had money put aside for our wedding and instead of getting married paid for one cycle of IVF after another.’