High cost of fertility treatment causing people to seek help abroad
The high cost of fertility treatment in the UK is causing some people to head abroad for procedures, new data indicates. Of those surveyed, 35% have considered going to another country as part of their quest to become parents.
The on-going impact of the cost-of-living crisis has also caused 22% to delay trying for a baby, with 11% worrying that they'll 'never' be financially secure enough to comfortably raise a child. The price of treatment itself is a burden for many, with over 28% of those surveyed reporting spend over £10,000 on various investigations and procedures.
When it comes to help navigating fertility issues, more and more people seem to be looking to foreign healthcare providers to lower costs. WH previously reported on the rise of women heading to places like Greece and Spain for egg freezing, with Dr Amit Shah, gynaecologist and co-founder of London-based fertility treatment clinic Fertility Plus, saying: ‘Although [having treatment using donor eggs or sperm] abroad has always been popular thanks to more lenient regulations outside the UK, now we are also seeing more women go abroad for IVF and egg freezing’.
When it comes to those struggling to conceive, significant amounts of cash are being spent on interventions. Of those surveyed, 38% of those having difficulties were funding treatment using their life savings.
The data, which was collected by fertility Fertility Family, which makes fertility supplements, also found that half of those experiencing infertility have felt dismissed by medical professionals and that 70% report feelings of failure.
Part of the issue is difficulty accessing NHS-funded fertility treatment. Over the UK, the average length of wait to be see by a fertility specialist varies dramatically, as is the extent of treatment offered on the health service.
Those in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland deal with the longest wait times for assisted conception procedures, with an average waiting time of one to two years. In the North West, South East, Yorkshire and the Humber, the South West and London, average wait times are around 21-30 weeks.
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