Am I eligible for NHS IVF funding if I already have a child?

Whether the NHS will fund your IVF treatment depends on the local eligibility criteria in your area.

You may have heard the term “postcode lottery” when it comes to accessing IVF in the UK, as the eligibility criteria will depend on your location. Scotland and Northern Ireland make their own decisions regarding who is eligible for NHS-funded fertility treatment, whilst in England and Wales, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) sets out guidelines for individual NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) who then set the criteria for their local catchment area.

Some CCGs have additional criteria such as not already having any children, even if they are not from your current relationship, do not live with you and/or are grown up. Some CCGs may fund your treatment if one partner of a couple has no children.

Am I eligible for IVF funding if I already have a child?

If you are looking into whether you might be eligible for NHS funding, we recommend asking your GP or contacting your local CCG to check the criteria for your area.

Gynii Me Tip: you can also find out more about NHS-funded IVF treatment here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ivf/availability/ and the latest NICE guidelines here: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg156/chapter/Recommendations#access-criteria-for-ivf

If you can’t get NHS-funded IVF treatment, you can have treatment privately. However, some private clinics can charge whatever they want and set their own price for treatment. So, make sure to do some research and compare prices (and the small print as to what is actually included in those prices) when deciding if this clinic is right for you.

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