A third of people trying to conceive have put themselves in financial jeopardy, survey says
The true cost of trying to have a baby for those who struggle to conceive has been revealed in a new survey.
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Around 34% of people who've had to go for private IVF treatment have put themselves into financial jeopardy by doing so, the 5 News study revealed.
One couple, Lewis and Hannah Vaughan Jones, who have been trying for a baby for five years, told the 5 News special programme that they have spent thousands of pounds after only being offered one round of IVF on the NHS.
Lewis said: ‘I've never met anyone who's indifferent about their children. Most people would do anything for their children. We're the same.
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‘We're desperate to have a family - we can't quite imagine our lives without one, so we just work really hard and put all our money into this and we make huge sacrifices outside of that because it's the most important thing for us.’
The couple have just finished their eighth round of IVF.
However, it is not just the financial cost that weighs heavy on couples who are trying to conceive (TTC) as 90% of people said that infertility feels like a trauma.
Jealousy of couples who get pregnant
The research also found that 31% of those who are TTC initially feel jealous when they hear someone has successfully managed to get pregnant.
This is something Hannah has experienced. She said: ‘A really hard thing for me to battle with is that feeling of jealousy. It's all-consuming. Lewis has seen me in bits on the floor at hearing the news of someone I love being pregnant.
‘You hate yourself for it. It's an awful response. It's envy and jealousy and impatience and all of those emotions wrapped into one.'
As well as feeling envy towards those who can easily conceive, 94% of people also said that they don’t think their friends, family or colleagues truly understand what they are going through in their journey to get pregnant.
And 54% of people feel annoyed by people’s comments such as ‘just relax, it will happen’, ‘don’t stress’, ‘you’re only young’ and ‘just adopt’.
Aileen Feeney, chief executive of Fertility Network UK, said: ‘Infertility is a disease, as defined by the World Health Organisation. It is cruel, devastating and can affect anyone, regardless of the background, colour or creed.
‘1 in 6 couples in the UK are affected by infertility which equates to 3.5 million people.’
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IVF on the NHS
IVF is offered to some couples on the NHS. However, this is only if certain criteria are met.
Emma Edey and her husband Lee have been trying for a baby for almost four years. Yet because the couple live in Colchester, Essex, they can't receive IVF on the NHS because it's not offered there.
Emma said: ‘The clock is ticking, and your time is slowly running out.
‘I have got a lot of kids in my life. I've got pictures everywhere, but I want my own child that I can put down at night and I haven't got to give them back.
‘And we can just love them, help them, teach them to ride a bike ... do normal things that normal people do. We just want something that we can call ours.’
In the UK, 14% of those denied IVF on the NHS were refused because their partners already had a child.
A further 8% said they were refused because their partner had too high a BMI.
Other factors included partners being considered too old, or not being born in the UK despite being official UK residents.
The NHS website states that: ‘NHS trusts across England and Wales are working to provide the same levels of service. But the provision of IVF treatment varies across the country, and often depends on local CCG (clinical commissioning group) policies.’
For more information on getting pregnant with IVF, click here.
The Channel 5 News special programme Fertility: Fighting For A Family, will air this evening (30th October 2018) at 6.30pm.
Have you struggled to conceive? What lengths did you go to to get pregnant? Let us know by clicking the forum thread below.
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