No wean, no fee! IVF clinic offers couples baby or money back
A PRIVATE fertility centre has become the first in Scotland to offer a programme which returns most of its fee if a couple fail to have a baby.
The scheme – pioneered in Spain – has been launched by the Glasgow Centre for Reproductive Medicine.
It requires patients to pay up to £11,350 for three rounds of IVF at a discounted rate – but if they do not have a child 70 per cent of the cash will be refunded.
It is the first time such a plan has been offered in the UK outside London.
Success rates per IVF cycle vary from about 20 per cent to 35 per cent, depending on the prospective mother’s age, with fertility declining substantially after 35.
Doctors often suggest patients should anticipate several rounds to increase their chances of success.
Almost two-thirds of couples fail in their attempts to have a baby after two cycles of IVF, research shows.
Many couples turn to private clinics because of long waiting times for NHS treatment and restrictions such as a woman’s weight.
Dr Marco Gaudoin, the Glasgow centre’s medical director, said he believed the scheme would ease some of the financial worries faced by women struggling to conceive and i mprove their chances of having a baby because of the commitment of the programme to having several IVF attempts.
He added: ‘For patients already concerned at the financial implications of seeking further treatment should their first cycle fail, this greatly eases the financial stress involved and dramatically improves their chances of having a baby.
‘It is vital for many patients to remain in treatment in order to conceive successfully, but sadly for some the usual high costs involved can be prohibitive.’
The programme is only open to women 37 or under and taking part is subject to medical review.
Former IVF patient Helen Anderson, 46, who is a member of the Glasgow Fertility Network patients’ support group, said she could see the scheme’s benefits. The office administrator said she and husband Gordon, 47, a local government officer, would have considered it when they had fertility treatment which resulted in the birth of their son Luke, now nine.
She added: ‘Some of our members have gone to clinics in Barcelona where money-back programmes are offered but this is the first time I have heard about it in Scotland.
‘I can see the advantages, as it gives patients some sense of security that they will get a large proportion of their money back if they don’t have a baby and they are being offered three cycles at a discounted rate.
‘We spent a total of £9,000 on private IVF attempts while waiting to have treatment on the NHS.
‘The private treatment didn’t work and I got pregnant with Luke on the second NHS attempt. We spent a huge amount of money but I don’t regret it. We’re not wealthy but we j ust found the money through savings, borrowing from relatives and giving up other things, as we longed to have a baby.’
But Mrs Anderson said her only concern is that private fertility treatment is expensive, with couples turning to it because of struggles or long waits for NHS treat- ment. She added: ‘If there was more NHS provision fewer couples would turn to private clinics.’
A spokesman for the Glasgow centre said the upfront fee for the three rounds of IVF was 40 per cent less than if paid for one at a time.
The scheme is run by Access Fertility, which offers f i nance packages. Its chief executive Ash Carroll-Miller said: ‘An IVF journey comes with many challenges for patients and we want to make treatment more affordable, reducing the patients’ financial risk and ultimately, help them to achieve their dream of having a baby.’
Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said: ‘Scotland is leading the way in the provision of National Health Service IVF treatment and we are meeting our target for all patients to start treatment within 12 months of referral.
‘ This target, along with our £18million investment in IVF provision over the last four years, means all patients in Scotland have access to a more generous and fairer service than elsewhere in UK.
‘Eligible couples in Scotland are already entitled to up to two full cycles of IVF treatment. Within these cycles, couples can have unlimited frozen embryo transfers, where available.’
‘Greatly eases the
financial stress’