Women head abroad for fertility treatment

By Elizabeth Heathcote  on Tuesday 26 May 2009

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Thousands of women every year are leaving the UK to have fertility treatment abroad.

Women are walking away from NHS waiting lists, a shortage of eggs and sperm, and the relatively high costs of private treatment in the UK, according to a report in the Guardian.

In addition, more older woman, who cannot get treatment in Britain, are seeking to become pregnant in clinics abroad.

There is no data collated on the number of women who seek fertility treatment abroad. However, Lorraine Culley, professor of social science and health at De Montfort University, who is leading a government-funded study of the subject, says that thousands of women a year may be seeking treatment abroad. "All the evidence is that cross-border reproductive care is growing," she said.
 
According to a study last year by the charity Infertility Network UK, 76 per cent of those seeking fertility treatment would consider going abroad.

The issue of older women seeking treatment abroad has been highlighted by the case of Elizabeth Adeney, 66, who is pregnant after fertility treatment at a clinic in Ukraine. She will be Britain's oldest mother.

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Tuesday 26 May 2009

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