In England, decisions about local NHS fertility services are determined locally, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guidelines. Local National Health Service bodies are expected to commission fertility services in line with the NICE guidelines so that there is equal access across England.
The existing NICE fertility guidelines include provisions for same sex couples who have demonstrated their clinical infertility through six failed cycles of artificial insemination. If this is the case, these couples will be offered a further 6 cycles of unstimulated intrauterine insemination before proceeding to IVF. The criteria in the guidelines were developed as a way of achieving equivalence between opposite-sex and same-sex couples in establishing clinical infertility and accessing National Health Service fertility treatment services. NICE has begun a scoping process for the review of these guidelines.
I wholeheartedly agree that no couple should face disproportionate or unequal costs in their efforts to overcome fertility issues. I am glad that NICE is looking at reviewing the existing guidelines. The Department for Health and Social Care also undertook an internal review on access to NHS fertility services last year. The review will inform the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy.