If you are considering fertility treatment to help you conceive, your options are to either pay for private treatment, or see if you are eligible for free treatment through the NHS. But what is the difference between these two options and which one is right for you?
Read on to learn more…
Firstly it is useful to know that NHS funding for fertility treatment varies depending on where you live and IVF is only offered on the NHS if a patient meets certain criteria. However, private clinics may have different selection criteria for their patients. They may be more flexible, treating anyone who has a medical need, or they may have other, stricter criteria to eliminate patients with poorer predicted success rates. Here at Concept Fertility, we treat anyone who needs our help, as long as they have a chance of success and they understand the probabilities, we will never reject patients to manipulate our success rates.
Another big difference between private and NHS IVF treatment is the waiting time. Depending on the area you live in, individuals who are eligible for NHS funding can wait between a few months to three years to start their fertility treatment. This is one of the main reasons why people opt for private IVF treatment over the NHS.
At Concept Fertility, there is no waiting list and we can arrange your initial consultation within a matter of days.
Another factor you may wish to consider is your level of care. NHS hospitals are usually large and busy places and you may see a number of different doctors and nurses throughout your treatment, or they may outsource part of the treatment cycle to another unit. By comparison, most private clinics operate in a much more intimate environment (although a few private clinics are also very large and impersonal). This quieter setting helps patients to feel more valued and understood. Our small and devoted team members are able to truly get to know each and every patient and will stay with you throughout your journey to becoming a parent.
Finally, it is important to understand that success rates and procedures are no different between the two. In fact, many NHS hospitals now outsource laboratory work to private clinics to help them provide various treatments.
At Concept Fertility it is our objective to provide you with all the information you need in order to make the right decisions. If you need any help deciding what your next steps should be, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
