NHS Fertility treatment row...

[Loosehead]

Given that the world is not exactly short of people and that the NHS is creaking under the strain, should the NHS be funding non essential treatmeant at all? I sympathise with infertile couples but the NHS was designed for treating the sick and should not use resources on non health threatening conditions. There are thousands of unwanted babies born each year, surely adoption can be used more as a solution to infertile couples. OK tin hat is on!

[bednobs]

i completely agree with the original post, if you cant have children, its not an illness so shouldnt be treated as one. I would disagree as to "many" infertile couples are infertile due to drugs taken by their mothers?? where are you getting that information from? what basis could you posssibly have for that statment Which drugs? how "many"?

[lafrancaise]

Sorry Loosehead but i'm having to use your thread to answer.
Gef, who are you to say i'm talking rubbish?? Medication taken during pregnancy affects the foetus, here is one example: DES (diethylstibestrol) see here
http://www.uchospitals.edu/online-library/cont ent=P01532
look at birth defects.
.

[lafrancaise]

Sorry Gef but I'm not talking rubbish and wonder who you think you are to accuse someone of that!
Here's one medication:
http://www.cdc.gov/DES/index.html

and

http://www.uchospitals.edu/online-library/cont ent=P01532
look under birth defects

[joko]

lafranc - your original post implied this was the sole cause of infertility - it is just one reason - there are many, many others that cannot be blamed on the NHS

[Oneeyedvic]

Personally I'm getting sick and tired of infertile couples acting like victims.

In yesterday's local news, they covered a woman who was told she needed to lose two stone to be eligible for ivf on the nhs. She elected to go private. What a great role model she will be to her children - I was too lazy to bother exercising and dieting for a few months to conceive you - so I paid for it instead. IMHO - the woman is not fit to be a parent.

To those parents that are too overweight to be eligible - GOOD. If you cannot control your own diet for a few months, heaven help your kids.

And lets stop all this rubbish about being big boned etc. I'm the first to admit I'm a fat git - I was 18 stone at the beginning of this year and am currently 14stone (still 1 stone over weight) - how did I lose weight? By eating less and excercising more. Difficult? Yes - it took a little (big) thing called will power!

There are very very few people who (imho) have medical conditions that stop them losing weight.

[Oneeyedvic]

Foget the tin hat - if anyone has a tin suit - I think I'll need one!

[sam82]

reading through your posts made me cry, i suffer from polysistic ovaires, there is a good chance i may never have a child naturally, my partner and i would love a baby, any baby for that matter.

You say the NHS is creaking under the strain, if people took care of themselves better didnt smoke, drink, take drugs had healthier diets, the NHS wouldnt be under the same strain.

[trionam]

Sam82 try not to worry too much Victoria beckham and kerry katona have polycystic ovaries as far as I know and they have had no probs.In answer to the orginal post though I think beacause of the low success rate with IVF I think its something people should fund themelves if its want they really want.

[Gef]

lafranc, I am not disputing that one drug, DES, has been LINKED to fertility problems. However, there is no evidence to suggest that it, and other drugs, are the main cause of infertility today.

By the way, I am not blind, there is no need to tell me the same thing twice.

[gedk]

My husband and I have fertility problems and have undergone 2 cycles of IVF treatment to conceive. Luckily the second one worked and we now have a beautiful son. We were not eligible for NHS treatment so we made sacrifices and went private. I have no problem with people receiving fertility treatment on the NHS, infertiltiy is a medical condition and if we are going to start working on the basis that only essential treatment should be given then we are opening up a huge can of worms. In my opinion NHS funded fertitlity treatment should only be withdrawn as long as we stop treating those with self inflicted conditions/injuries like smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts, over-eaters, those who engage in dangerous sports, circumcisions done for religious reasons etc etc etc.....the list is endless...........

[Oneeyedvic]

would be interested to know how you would like to withdraw treatment for 'self inflicted conditions' - how do you prove an illness has been related to smoking - would you have withdrawn treatment from Roy Castle - after all his was his choice to play in smoky clubs (if you believe he did suffer lung cancer as a result of second hand smoke - a point which is debatable).

And as it is, lots of illnesses are not treated as they are not 'cost-effective'.

IVF is not a life threatening illness - there are plenty of other options (as well as going privately - you have to ask yourself, if you can't afford to save up for the treatment - how do you expect to fund a child?) such as adoption and fostering.

[NICNACNOO]

i think you are all wrong not being able to have a child can lead to depression and will cost the uk thosands in medication and days off sick, therefoe it is in the best interests of the people in the uk to allow fertility treatment to be readly available on the nhs