In Focus 🔍 | 'I assumed IVF would work for us but when our first round was unsuccessful, it hit us hard.’
Lorna Watkins and her husband Jason had been trying for a baby for a year and a half when they decided to go to their GP for advice.Lorna, a teacher from Newport, had been diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve and was told by doctors thatWhile the couple had an idea of what fertility treatment would entail, they were certainly not prepared for the added pressure of paying for it during the cost of living crisis.
When Lorna, 32, was told she’d need IVF in August 2021, she took it upon herself to learn more about the process and soon discovered that she wasn’t alone in what she was going through. ‘A huge number of people were facing fertility issues and turning to science to give them a chance at a family and that’s what IVF is – a chance,’ she remembers.
‘On the day of the transfer, we got a call to say that the embryo had not continued to grow overnight, so it couldn’t be transferred,’ Lorna remembers. ‘This was probably one of the lowest points of our journey – I started to think that it may not happen for us.
According to a joint survey from Fertility Clinics Abroad and Fertility Network UK, 93% of respondents said they would consider fertility treatment overseas, with over two thirds saying they would go abroad because they believed that the treatments on offer are generally cheaper. Meanwhile, half believed that foreign clinics could offer higher success rates, while 46% said they would consider opting for fertility treatment abroad because of positive reports from other people.
Reflecting on her journey over the past three years, Lorna acknowledges that the gap in fertility treatment along with the cost of living present a huge financial burden on couples who want to have a family. The couple had their first round of IVF in 2021. She was only offered one funded cycle, which sadly ended in a chemical miscarriage. The cost of living made an already long wait for treatment even longer.
The cost of living left Natasha and her husband struggling to get funds together, meaning that they had less disposable income each month. She acknowledges that if the third attempt didn’t work, they would still be struggling to save for another one. ‘I can’t imagine how long that would have taken us in this current economic climate,’ she says.
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