IVF access in nations and regions

View policies on IVF access in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland below.

Scotland

In Scotland, all couples can access funded fertility treatments if they meet the nationally agreed NHS access criteria (introduced 1 April 2017). Fertility Network UK have set out the criteria. This should be applied consistently across all NHS Boards, regardless of where in Scotland you live.

According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), 70% of donor insemination (DI) cycles and 40% of IVF cycles for female same-sex couples in Scotland are funded by the NHS.

NHS Scotland provides donor insemination treatment to same-sex couples, patients with genetic diseases and those with poor quality sperm. Patients can receive up to 6 cycles of DI treatment followed by 1 to 3 cycles of IVF treatment, depending on age and providing that they meet the NHS IVF access criteria.

If you have had a negative experience accessing fertility treatment in Scotland, you can email your MSPs to let them know. Find your MSPs, and their contact details.

In the rest of the UK, access to IVF is not equal for LGBTQ+ couples. In some areas of England, LGBTQ+ couples may have to pay up to £25,000 before accessing NHS-funded IVF. Share your support for equal access to IVF for everyone on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Wales

The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) currently states that people in same-sex couples have to prove infertility through six non-stimulated cycles of artificial insemination before accessing NHS-funded IVF. These cycles may be achieved through a private arrangement or through NHS-provided intra-uterine insemination (IUI) with donor sperm. IUI is not funded by WHSSC, but may be funded by the Health Boards. Not all health boards fund IUI, therefore access to NHS fertility healthcare is inconsistent and dependent on where individuals seeking healthcare live in Wales.

In 2023, the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee proposed that female same-sex couples prove infertility with 12 unsuccessful cycles of IUI - double the original six, and twice the number outlined in NICE guidelines - before accessing NHS-funded IVF. Your stories helped us to advocate strongly against this, and we are pleased to say that for now there will be no change.

But the current policy will be up for review again in April 2025. With public service budgets tightening, we need your help to demonstrate the importance of accessible IVF to policymakers. Get in touch to discuss sharing your story or sign up to our mailing list to support our future campaigns.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland healthcare, including assisted conception, is devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

In Northern Ireland the regulations to access funded fertility treatments are the same for all couples. This should be applied consistently across all Health Trusts, regardless of where in Northern Ireland you live. However, the Regional Fertility Clinic does not have the resources to provide treatment to everyone. The eligibility criteria are available online.

While on paper access appears to be equal, in practise it is not. In order to access treatment where there is no diagnosed fertility condition, those in same sex couples must have a number of cycles of unsuccessful insemination – either with a known donor, which has legal and health implications, or through a private clinic at great personal cost.

While there is a commitment to 3 funded rounds of IVF in the New Decade New Approach – the agreement which restored devolution in 2020 - this has not yet been delivered and patients in Northern Ireland only receive 1 round of treatment.

If you have had a negative experience accessing fertility treatment in Northern Ireland, you can contact your MLAs to let them know. Find your MLAs, and their contact details.