Women with advanced endometriosis could be offered NHS-funded fertility preservation treatments

A Glasgow woman living with polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis is calling for fertility preservation treatments to be paid for by the NHS.

Nicola McDonald borrowed almost £7,000 to freeze her eggs privately after being told the chronic conditions would severely impact her fertility and ability to have children.

New guidance published by the Scottish Government on Friday expanded eligibility for the treatments, which have seen a 200% increase since the pandemic.

Nicola told STV News she adores being an auntie to her nephew Vinny, but the 38-year-old from Glasgow also dreams of one day having a family of her own.

She had been undergoing NHS IVF treatment with her then-husband when the couple suddenly split. As a single woman, she was no longer eligible, and her funded treatment stopped.

Nicola said: “My consultant at the time on the NHS felt it was a harsh decision. She did say personally, ‘Nicola, if you were my daughter, I would privately go and freeze your eggs’.

“I really know that I want to be a mother at some point in life, so I feel like I really had to take that opportunity to reserve my fertility and protect it for the future.

“I do feel like there is a significant gap within the NHS guidelines. Women should be recognised with endometriosis, which is a fertility issue that reduces their ovarian reserves – not everyone can go through private treatment.”

Nicola borrowed around £7,000 from her family for the procedure and now has six eggs in storage.

Fertility preservation is currently only available to single women on the NHS if there is an imminent and significant risk to their fertility, such as undergoing cancer treatment.

Health secretary Neil Gray said: “We are publishing new guidance that supports clinicians to be able to ensure that they are providing support to people in these scenarios so that based on that clinical perspective on appropriateness, we can support people that are wanted to start a family in those circumstances.”

Demand for fertility treatment in Scotland – both NHS-funded and private – is rising, with the sector expected to be worth £1bn by 2030.

One private clinic in Glasgow has seen a surge of interest from single women wanting to freeze their eggs. In the last three years, the number of patients in Scotland freezing their eggs has increased by almost 200%, with the average patient aged 35.

But experts say women should be thinking about the procedure much earlier.

Marco Gaudoin from TFP GCRM Fertility said: “The more eggs you’ve got, the better, and the younger you are when you freeze them, the better.

“Women are beginning to appreciate that as they get older, their fertility is declining.

“The downside is it’s very expensive. So it will cost about £8,000 for those two cycles of treatment. So it’s not cheap, and I don’t pretend otherwise.”