# How will the new NICE guidleines effect same sex couples?



## KT1980 (Jan 27, 2013)

Ok so it's all over the media today that new guidelines for IVF will be published in May....they are raising the age of qualification to 42 (in certain circumstances), they are reducing 'trying time' to 2 years AND same sex couples should be offered fertility treatment  ...so what does this mean? Has anyone worked out how it all effect same sex couples??


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## Jam&amp;Cream (Jan 27, 2013)

The below is taken from NHS Choices. Doesn't really answer many questions though. 

New standards set out for treating fertility problems dominate the health news.
The coverage is based on updated infertility guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). While these guidelines are wide-ranging, the media’s coverage focuses largely on recommendations that:
NHS-funded IVF should now be offered up to the age of 42 (in certain circumstances) – the current IVF age limit is 39
couples having difficulty conceiving should be offered treatment after two years of regular unprotected intercourse, instead of the current three
same sex couples should be offered NHS fertility treatment. 

Intrauterine insemination
Couples with unexplained infertility, women with mild endometriosis, or men who have ‘mild male infertility’, should normally attempt to conceive through regular vaginal intercourse for two years rather than receive intrauterine insemination. NICE says this is because new evidence shows that it is no better at achieving a live birth than people attempting to conceive through regular vaginal intercourse.
However, intrauterine insemination may still be suitable in certain circumstances where vaginal intercourse would not be suitable or appropriate, for example:
people who are unable to, or would find it very difficult to, have vaginal intercourse because of a clinically diagnosed physical disability or psychosexual problem, who are using partner or donor sperm
people with conditions requiring specific consideration in relation to methods of conception (for example, where the man is HIV positive)
people in same-sex relationships
How have these fertility guidelines been received in the media?
The new guidelines were widely reported in the papers, although not always in a fair and balanced way. The Daily Mail’s headline inaccurately claims that, “lesbians will get IVF on the taxpayer”. The guidelines actually recommend that intrauterine insemination should be offered to women in same-sex relationships. Intrauterine insemination is an entirely different fertility treatment to IVF. After six unsuccessful cycles of IUI, the NICE guidance says that all women (regardless of sexual orientation and relationship status) should be eligible for IVF.
The Daily Mail also conflates its reporting of the new guidelines with a claim that “Five thousand fatherless children have been born to lesbian couples and single mothers following fertility treatment in the past decade”. This appears to be based on figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. The paper did not report on any other recommendations by NICE.


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## NatGamble (Mar 1, 2007)

Stonewall has produced a guide on this for lesbians which may help. It's here http://www.stonewall.org.uk/documents/fertility_treatment_guide.pdf

/links


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## welshginge (Jul 12, 2009)

So you (probably) have to fund 6 IUI's before you can have free IVF. This is what my area has always done. It's cheaper to just fund the IVF yourself & forget the IUI's, not great really.


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