UK to issue guidelines on fertility treatment

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- The government said Thursday it will issue guidelines about offering fertility treatment through the state-funded National Health Service.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn has asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), a government advisory body, to examine all types of fertility treatment.

The guidelines, which are expected to be issued next year, could make the expensive treatments more available to thousands of childless couples who want to be parents.

"It is excellent news. I am delighted the government has done this because it will put infertility treatment on a proper footing," fertility expert Lord Robert Winston told BBC radio.

Fertility treatments such as IVF are freely available in some parts of the country but are not offered to couples in other areas in a so-called postal code lottery.

Decisions on who will get the treatments, which can cost thousands of pounds, depend on the local health authorities. The NICE guidelines will be designed to assure more even availability throughout England and Wales.

In areas where the treatments are not available on the NHS, couples who can afford it have had private treatment.

"At the moment a great deal of money is lost and pain is caused by inappropriate treatments being given and drugs being given in the wrong situations and IVF not being offered when it should be," Winston said.

"If there are NICE guidelines this will ensure much better practice across the country," he added.

An estimated one in seven couples in England and Wales experience fertility problems.

The aim of the NICE guidelines, which will cover a whole range of treatments, is to provide people with a fairer system and fertility methods that work. The move could cost the government tens of millions of pounds each year.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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National Health Service Corps
National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)

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