My animal instinct says it’s time for us to wake up

Judy Murray on wildlife crisis

How old is too old to have IVF on the NHS?

We all know the health service is under pressure, but hearing that women over the age of 34 are being automatically refused IVF treatment on the NHS in several areas of England saddened me.

What’s particularly disappointing is that so many people didn’t realise that a cut-off point had been created in their area.

They assumed, as in the rest of the country, that they would be entitled to three IVF treatments until the age of 40 and another cycle, if needed, before they were 42, only to have their hopes shattered. The way the world has evolved, there are more women choosing to have families later in life so that they can have their careers first, putting themselves in a more financially stable situation before starting a family.

To me, capping an age for fertility treatment presupposes you’ll meet someone you want to have a family with long before 40, but not everyone is in that position. You just don’t know when you are going to meet the person you want to take that step with.

I understand the NHS is not a bottomless pit of cash and there has to be a restriction on the number of times you can have the treatment.

However, if you are in a more financially viable situation because you have delayed having a family, then you might be able to afford to pay for IVF privately – but not everyone will. My brother and his wife had twins when they were 39 after seven unsuccessful attempts at IVF, most of which they had paid for themselves.

When you want to have a family it’s natural you are going to explore every avenue to get there, and cutting off NHS treatment at 34 doesn’t seem fair.

We’re living longer, healthier lives, and there is greater opportunity to do more things for longer nowadays than in the past, so maybe everything has to be pushed on a little bit age-wise.

We’re told we have to work longer before we retire, so why not afford us a little bit longer to have a family?