BOLTON'S health chiefs say they face difficult decisions over which services to cut if draft guidelines on free NHS fertility treatment are approved without additional funding being made available.
Under draft guidelines recommended to the Government, couples suffering from certain types of fertility problems will receive free treatment on the NHS.
Health managers in Bolton say that without knowing what the final guidelines are or what funding would be available, or even how long they would have to implement changes, they cannot assess the potential implications -- but add that service cuts would be likely.
The proposals recommend that women aged between 23 and 39 should receive free IVF treatment if the cause of infertility has been diagnosed, or if the couple remain infertile despite three years of trying to conceive.
Women who have been diagnosed with conditions such as damaged fallopian tubes or abnormality of the uterus would qualify for free treatment.
Dr Kevin Snee, Bolton Primary Care Trust's chief executive, said: "Currently there are variations across the country over such treatment, which is unacceptable. I would welcome some guidelines which would give some consistency."
Couple's warning over waiting list
NICOLA and James Sheppard, of Alderton Drive, Westhoughton, have spent thousands of pounds on private IVF treatment.
They paid £12,000 for treatment to conceive their daughter Lucy, who will be three in November.
James said: "I think it's a good thing that IVF will be free on the NHS. However, I would still say that going private is the best route.
"We were put off the NHS because of the huge waiting lists. If IVF becomes free on the NHS, I can only imagine that the waiting lists will get even longer."
After becoming parents, the couple decided they wanted to have another baby. Two failed IVF attempts followed, before Nicola became pregnant with twins.
Sadly, Nicola miscarried one of the twins, but the couple are expecting a baby boy in October.
The guidelines will now undergo a four-week consultation period before the finished version is presented to the Department of Health in February.
The draft guidelines are available on www. nice.org.uk
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