Lincolnshire step mum denied IVF calls for change to rules

Sarah Barker was told NHS treatment was not possible as her partner already has a child

A woman denied NHS fertility treatment because her partner already has a child is calling for a change in the rules.

Sarah Barker, 26, who has polycystic ovary syndrome has been trying for a baby for four years and now wants to begin IVF.

Her local clinical commissioning group (CCG) does not offer the treatment to couples if either partner has a child from a previous relationship.

Lincolnshire CCG said this was due to budget constraints.

"Women shouldn't be discriminated against because of the person they've fallen in love with. It's not right and it's not fair and it's outdated," said Ms Barker, from North Hykeham in Lincolnshire.

"It's devastating. Going through infertility is already so hard and when you have these boundaries and barriers in the way it just makes it so much more difficult."

Ms Barker said there was a "postcode lottery" when it came to getting NHS fertility treatment for women in the same position.

Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend that IVF should be offered to women under the age of 43 who have failed to get pregnant after two years of trying, or who have had 12 cycles of artificial insemination.

However the final decision is made by local CCGs who can impose stricter criteria.

More news from across Lincolnshire and Yorkshire

Sarah Barker wants to see a change to "antiquated" IVF rules

Lincolnshire CCG policy states that funding for IVF will only be "available to couples who do not have a living child from their current relationship nor any previous relationship".

Responding to a freedom of information request the CCG said "the costs of adopting the NICE policy in full cannot be justified at this time. It would have involved moving investments from other areas of service such as mental health and health prevention into IVF services."

Ms Barker has helped to start a petition asking the Department of Health and Social Care to make CCGs "update their antiquated policies and allow fair access to fertility treatments", especially for women in the same situation as her.

She said: "It's not just about us, it's about all these other families that are going through this, we're just one drop in the ocean.

"We've spoken to so many families who are having to choose between buying a house and having a family and it's not fair, it's not right."