Navigating IVF on the NHS

We’re breaking down the postcode lottery to help you work out if you’re eligible for free treatment.

If you need help having a child, you might consider turning to the NHS for free IVF.

There’s a wealth of information out there on who might be eligible, but it can be hard to find – and even harder to understand.

This guide aims to help you make an informed decision by being your one source of truth, dispelling the mystery around IVF on the NHS.

Can you get IVF on the NHS?

In short, yes, you may be able to have IVF on the NHS. But access to NHS fertility treatment isn’t easy – depending on where you live you be offered up to 3 cycles of IVF or none at all. There are also a number of additional criteria you must meet before the NHS will offer treatment to you.

What are the NHS IVF criteria?

In 2013, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) released updated recommendations clearly outlining who should receive IVF treatment on the NHS in England and Wales.

Unfortunately, it’s not mandatory for the NHS to follow these guidelines. This means that it’s actually within the power of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to set their own criteria and ultimately make the final decision on who can receive IVF in their area.

The recommendations outlined by NICE suggest that:

Women aged 39 and younger should have access to three full cycles of IVF treatment.
Women aged between 40 and 42 who have never had IVF treatment and who do not have a low ovarian reserve should be able to access one full cycle of IVF.

Shockingly, recent statistics from NICE show that over 80% of CCGs fail to provide the number of recommended cycles.

An example where recommendations have been ignored can be seen across Berkshire West, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Southampton and the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, plus some areas within Frimley. In these areas, IVF is only offered until the age of 35, rather than the NICE recommended age of 39 or 40.

What are the most common CCG criteria?

As well as your age, there are additional CCG criteria that you may need to meet to qualify for IVF on the NHS. These include:

not having any children already (from either a current or previous relationship);
being a <z tooltip="Most CCGs will only offer IVF if your BMI is under 30.">healthy weight</z>;
being a non-smoker;
having a good <z tooltip="Ovarian reserve is the number of eggs in the ovaries.">ovarian reserve</z>.

Although these criteria seem clear, specific conditions can vary based on your location, making the process of applying for IVF on the NHS incredibly confusing and frustrating.

Navigating the IVF postcode lottery

Adding another layer to the confusion is the question of how many cycles you’ll be offered on the NHS. Some areas will offer only one cycle of IVF, while others will offer two or three.

The CCG directory from NHS England tells you how many cycles the NHS might offer you, but it can be difficult to interpret.

To help you break it down, we’ve split the data to reflect how many cycles of IVF are offered in each area of England. When looking for your area, remember that your CCG is based on the location of your GP Practice, rather than your own home address.

Areas offering 1 cycle

Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire
Berkshire West
Birmingham and Solihull
Blackburn and Darwin
Black Country and West Birmingham
Blackpool
Bolton
Bradford District and
Bracknell, Royal Borough of Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough
Buckinghamshire
Bury
Calderdale
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Cannock Chase
Cheshire
Chorley, Ribble and SouthWestern
Coventry and Warwickshire
Craven
Derby and Derbyshire
Devon
Dorset
East and North Hertfordshire
East Lancashire
East Leicestershire and
East Staffordshire
Rutford
East Riding of Yorkshire
Fylde & Wyre
Gloucestershire
Greater Preston
Halton
Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight
Herefordshire and
Herts Valleys
Worcestershire
Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale
Kernow
Kirklees
Leeds
Leicester City
Lincolnshire
Manchester
North East Lincolnshire
North Hampshire
North Lincolnshire
North West London
North Yorkshire
Northamptonshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Oldham
Oxfordshire
Sheffield
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin
Somerset
South East London
South East Staffordshire & Seisdon Peninsula
South West London
Southend
Stafford and Surrounds
Trafford
Vale of York
Wakefield
Warrington
West Essex
West Lancashire
West Leicestershire

Areas offering 2 cycles

Barnsley
Brighton and Hove
Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire
Castle Point and Rochford
Doncaster
East Sussex
Farnham
Ipswich and East Suffolk
Kent and Medway
Liverpool
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
Morecambe Bay
Norfolk and Waveney
North East Essex
North Staffordshire
Portsmouth
Rotherham
Salford
St Helen's
Stoke on Trent
Stockport
Surrey Heartlands
Surrey Heath
Thurrock
West Suffolk
West Sussex
Wigan Borough
Wirral

Areas offering 3 cycles

Bassetlaw
County Durham
Hull
Knowsley
Newcastle Gateshead
North Central London
North Cumbria
North Tyneside
Northumberland
South Sefton
South Tyneside
Southport and Formby
Sunderland
Tameside and Glossop
Tees Valley

Can same-sex couples have IVF on the NHS?

Some areas of England offer IVF to same-sex couples. But additional criteria may apply depending on your location, making the barrier to entry that much higher.

For instance, in South East London, <z tooltip="IUI) is a type of fertility treatment when sperm is directly inserted into a woman's womb.">intrauterine insemination (IUI)</z> for female same-sex couples is only offered after a total of 12 self-funded attempts at IUI over a period of at least 12 months.

Meanwhile, same-sex couples in Hull may be offered treatment after six self-funded rounds of IUI.

CCGs in England that may offer IVF to same-sex couples

It’s important to note that although this list seems extensive, it is still rare for same-sex couples to be offered IVF on the NHS.

Barnsley
Bassetlaw
Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire - bswccg
Berkshire West (female only)
Black Country and West Birmingham
Blackpool (female only)
Bolton
Bradford District and Craven
Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire
Buckinghamshire (female only)
Bury (female only)
Calderdale (female only)
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Cannock Chase (female only)
Cheshire
Chorley/Ribble and South Western (female only)
Derby and Derbyshire (female only)
Devon
Doncaster
Dorset (females only)
East and North Hertfordshire
East Lancashire (female only)
East Leicestershire and Rutford
East Riding of Yorkshire
East Staffordshire
East Sussex
Frimley (female only)
Fylde and Wyre
Gloucestershire (female only)
Greater Preston (female only)
Halton (female only)
Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight (female only)
Herefordshire and Worcestershire (female only)
Hertz Valleys
Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale (female only)
Hull
Ipswich and East Suffolk
Kent and Medway
Kernow
Kirklees
Knowsley
Leicester City
Lincolnshire
Liverpool
Manchester
North East Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Staffordshire
North Tyneside
North West London
North Yorkshire
Northamptonshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Oldham
Portsmouth (female only)
Rotherham
Salford (female only)
Sheffield
Somerset
South East London
South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsula (female only)
South Sefton (female only)
South Tyneside
South West London (female only)
St Helen’s (female only)
Stafford and Surrounds
Stockport
Stoke on Trent (female only)
Sunderland
Surrey Heartlands (female only)
Tameside and Glossop
Tees Valley
Thurrock
Trafford (female only)
Vale of York
Wakefield
Warrington
West Essex
West Lancashire (female only)
Wigan Borough (female only)
Wirral

Can a single woman have IVF on the NHS?

As with same-sex couples, the criteria for single women seeking IVF on the NHS can vary widely. For example, in South West London, a single woman must have had a total of 12 attempts at IUI over a period of at least 12 months before being offered NHS treatment. In Cheshire, a single woman would need to provide evidence of six unsuccessful cycles.

CCGs in England that may offer IVF to single women

Even though many CCGs claim to offer IVF to single women, it’s very rare that this actually happens.

Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire
Berkshire West
Black Country and West Birmingham
Bolton
Buckinghamshire
Cheshire
Chorley/Ribble and South Western
Derby and Derbyshire
East Lancashire
Fylde and Wyre
Greater Preston
Halton
Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight
Herefordshire and Worcestershire
Herts Valleys
Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale
Kent and Medway
Knowsley
Liverpool
Manchester
North West London
Oldham
Portsmouth
South East London
South Sefton
South West London
Southport and Formby
St Helen’s
Stockport
Surrey Heartlands
Tameside and Glossop
Trafford
Warrington
West Lancashire
West Leicestershire
West Suffolk
Wirral

Can you have IVF on the NHS if you already have a child?

In most cases, IVF is not offered to those who already have a biological or adopted child. This is also the case if that child is from a partner's previous relationship.

In some areas, this criteria differs so you may be offered treatment if one of you has a child from a previous relationship. This does not apply if both partners have a child from a previous relationship.

Single women are not eligible for IVF on the NHS if they already have a child.

What are the NHS IVF waiting times?

The process of getting IVF on the NHS can take a long time. How long you’ll wait can vary depending on your circumstances, but realistically it could take anywhere from six months to a few years.

In most cases, you need to have been trying to conceive for at least a year to even be considered for NHS IVF treatment. Prior to getting funding, you’ll need to have a number of scans and tests to check you’re eligible for treatment, which can also take months to complete.

How do you apply for NHS funding?

Speak to your local GP if you are interested in NHS funding for your IVF treatment. They will give you more information on your CCG and waiting times for treatment. Your GP will be the person who will refer you to get additional fertility assessments and to the NHS hospital to get treatment. If the criteria used by your CCG don’t match the NICE recommendation, you can request funding for additional NHS funded cycles. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has some useful resources that can help you request funding from your CCG, and make an appeal if funding is refused.

What to do if you’re not eligible

“We felt like we’d hit a brick wall when we didn't qualify for NHS funding. One email to Gaia later, and we’re on our second round.” – Lyndsey, Gaia Member

We know that receiving the treatment you need to start a family on the NHS is incredibly difficult. And it can be heartbreaking to be turned away.

At this stage, you might be weighing up alternative options, such as IVF financing, or paying for IVF using your savings. But the cost of IVF in the UK isn’t always clear, so self-funding can be extremely daunting.

At Gaia, we believe everyone who wants a family should have the chance to try. The difference between having a child or not shouldn’t be how rich you are. So we created IVF insurance to help you plan, pay for and protect your IVF journey.

With a Gaia Plan, we cover all essential treatments from the stimulation phase onwards so you never have to use your credit card at your clinic once your IVF treatment has begun.

‍

Thank you! Your form has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Fund your IVF journey with a Gaia Plan

Find out how Gaia can help you pay for IVF.

Discover Gaia

Have more questions?

As the world's first IVF insurance, we know you might have some more questions. Speak with a member of our Support Team to get all your questions answered.

Book a Call

Fund your IVF journey with a Gaia Plan

Get your personalised plan today.

Have more questions?