![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1_Ivf.jpg\")
(Left to right) Gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe, embryologist Jean Purdy and physiologist Robert Edwards at the birth the first IVF baby, Louise Brown ,(Image: Copyright Unknown)<\/p>\nThe number of NHS-funded IVF cycles in certain areas of Greater Manchester could drop from three to one(Left to right) Gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe, embryologist Jean Purdy and physiologist Robert Edwards at the birth the first IVF baby, Louise Brown ,(Image: Copyright Unknown)<\/p>\n
For many, including one mother-to-be, watching their chances of having a baby be slashed by a third would be \u2018absolutely gutting\u2019.<\/p>\n
But this week, Greater Manchester health bosses have said they are trying to end a postcode lottery that can see people in one borough have triple the chance at IVF, while others only get one round of the treatment.<\/p>\n
To end the disparity, the number of NHS-funded IVF cycles in certain areas of Greater Manchester could drop from three to one.<\/p>\n
Greater Manchester\u2019s NHS<\/a> claims this is to create a \u2018consistent approach\u2019 that\u2019s \u2018fair for everyone\u2019 across the city-region \u2013 saying it is fairer if all patients going through IVF get the same offer.<\/p>\n Yet some say that getting just one chance at having a child, through a process that is already a \u2018minefield\u2019, can make the pressure \u2018absolutely horrendous\u2019.<\/p>\n The Manchester Evening News spoke to a 36-year-old woman, due to give birth soon after going through one cycle of IVF in Manchester. From the very start of the journey, only being able to have one round for free on the NHS can have major consequences, she explains.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get one egg harvest session, we got six viable eggs from, and those six eggs were classed as the one cycle,\u201d she told the M.E.N.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my head, that meant it felt like we got six chances. But if a couple only has just one egg, it\u2019s the one chance they have.\u201d<\/p>\n This couple knows all-too-well the joys, setbacks, crushing blows and frustrations that can unfold in just one cycle. Finally, after three years of IVF treatment, their sixth egg out of six is hoped to arrive safely as a happy and healthy baby in just a few weeks.<\/p>\n But experiencing the feeling of running out of options piled on pressure to a process where stress can work against success.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s massive pressure. Even when we were on egg four, we started thinking \u2018we\u2019ve only got two more eggs after this. I can\u2019t lie, there are times that have been pretty horrendous, constantly thinking if you\u2019re just wasting your time, wondering whether it\u2019s going to work,\u201d said the mum-to-be, who wishes to remain anonymous.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve just got to have blind faith that it will work. You\u2019re being told that stress is the enemy in this process, but you can\u2019t help but think about the situation which is inherently stressful.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had two miscarriages along the way \u2013 so we found that if you do get pregnant, that positive pregnancy test is just the start of the road.<\/p>\n \u201cThen if you miscarry, you can\u2019t have any treatment for the next egg until there\u2019s been a six month break.<\/p>\n \u201cIn one breath, you\u2019re being told to have a six month break, but after 35 your success with IVF can really decline, and at 40 it then becomes really difficult. I had moments where I was really frustrated that we were back waiting again, meanwhile I was just getting older.\u201d<\/p>\n Three cycles of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) are currently on offer for those who live in Tameside<\/a>, while two cycles are available in Salford<\/a>, Wigan<\/a>, and Stockport<\/a>. The other six boroughs of Greater Manchester \u2013 including Oldham<\/a>, where the first IVF baby Louise Brown was born in 1978 \u2013 offer one cycle free to patients on the NHS.<\/p>\n The region\u2019s NHS is encouraging people to take part in a six-week public consultation about the proposed changes \u2013 which include one full IVF cycle to eligible women aged 39 and under, along with an additional attempt known as a ‘1+’ round if the first cycle is cancelled or abandoned.<\/p>\n NHS Greater Manchester, which plans and pays for the region\u2019s health services, says the \u2018inconsistency stems from historic commissioning arrangements\u2019.<\/p>\n The organisation added that it was reviewing the policies to \u2018ensure a consistent and fair approach for everyone, regardless of where they live\u2019, and that the change would be \u2018affordable for the NHS now and in the future\u2019.<\/p>\n The Manchester IVF patient said: \u201cI know the NHS doesn\u2019t have endless purse strings, but speaking from personal experience, it would have made a massive difference [to have more than one cycle available].<\/p>\n \u201cThis last egg was our last roll of the dice, one more go. I had started pricing up private options because we had to approach it on the basis that it wasn\u2019t going to work.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the surface of it, some private providers appear to offer you one round for around \u00a33,500 \u2013 but it\u2019s incredibly misleading because there\u2019s hidden costs in lots of scans and tests to see which medications you need to be on.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the end of all that, it was looking more like \u00a310,000 per round. For so many people, that\u2019s just not an option.\u201d<\/p>\n The NHS offer is already an \u2018absolute minefield\u2019, said the expectant mother. At the start of their IVF treatment the husband and wife lived in Manchester, but in the three-year-long process moved to Yorkshire.<\/p>\n It planted fears that they may have to start again because they fell under a different hospital trust, facing the prospect of \u2018having to start at the back of the queue somewhere else\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to do an insane amount of paperwork. If one of you has a child from a previous relationship, you don\u2019t qualify for free IVF \u2013 but that could be under any circumstances, you might be estranged from that side of your family, anything could have happened,\u201d said the 36-year-old.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are lots of rules and hoops we had to jump through, it\u2019s a really strict and slow process. We had six egg transfers and it\u2019s taken us about three years.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019re just so grateful that we got six eggs in the first place, because there are so many others who might only get one or even none at all.\u201d<\/p>\n The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which makes recommendations to the NHS about what care it should give to patients while ensuring the best value for money for the taxpayer.<\/p>\n NICE recommends people should be able to get three IVF cycles on the NHS, but the number of cycles that are actually on offer is at the discretion of local NHS organisations that run the services for their geographical areas.<\/p>\n Many NHS organisations around the country only offer one round..<\/p>\n \u201cIf you were in a trust that offered three rounds and were just starting off to be told you\u2019d have those chances cut to one round, it would be absolutely gutting,\u201d said the Manchester IVF patient.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew from the start that we would just have the one round that was on offer. I\u2019d definitely feel different if I had three rounds in front of me and then it was cut to one. Going from trebling your chances to just one round is hugely different.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully all will be well with this baby. If we\u2019d had more eggs, we\u2019d have hoped to have a second child.<\/p>\n \u201cRealistically speaking, we\u2019ll have to call it a day now and stop at one.\u201d<\/p>\n NHS Greater Manchester continued that one-cycle proposal comes because \u2018this is the current policy in the majority of Greater Manchester, meaning no change for most residents; and it aligns with offers in most other parts of England\u2019.<\/p>\n Katherine Sheerin, Chief Commissioning Officer at NHS Greater Manchester, said: \u201cWe know that fertility is a deeply personal and often emotional topic, which is why this consultation is so important. We want to ensure that everyone has the chance to contribute to the conversation about how these services are delivered fairly in Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether you\u2019ve had experience with IVF, are considering fertility treatment, or simply want to share your perspective, please take part and share your views.\u201d<\/p>\n The consultation runs from Wednesday, 18 June to Tuesday, 29 July 2025. You can take part by completing the online survey found on this website<\/a>, attending one of NHS Greater Manchester\u2019s local workshops or focus groups, or by contacting NHS GM to request information in a different format or language.<\/p>\n The consultation is not proposing changes to the eligibility criteria or the current offer of one cycle for women aged 40-42, which follows national guidance.<\/p>\n “So many people across Greater Manchester have been on deeply personal IVF journeys \u2013 or are just beginning one \u2013 and we completely understand there will be strong views about what\u2019s being proposed,” added the organisation.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we are running the public consultation on the proposed changes. We want to find out the public\u2019s views on whether people agree with our current proposal of standardising to the offer across Greater Manchester to 1+ cycles, as well as asking who on their IVF journey any change would affect.\u201d<\/p>\n A report summarising the feedback will be published to make the final decision, which will be made at a public NHS Greater Manchester board meeting later this year.<\/p>\n Email: gmhscp.engagement@nhs.net<\/p>\n Text\/call\/WhatsApp: 07786 673762<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_IVF-treatments-for-single-women.jpg\")
The NHS offer is already an \u2018absolute minefield\u2019, said the expectant mother(Image: PA)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1_JS136123614.jpg\")
The site in Oldham where the original IVF cycle was carried out in 1978(Image: M.E.N.)<\/p>\n![\"Pregnant](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1_Pregnant-woman-getting-ultrasound-from-doctor.jpg\")
NICE recommends people should be able to get three IVF cycles on the NHS(Image: Getty Images\/iStockphoto)<\/p>\n