News

8th March 2004

IVF 'too stressful'

A study, published by a team of researchers in Sweden, has found that a quarter of couples undergoing IVF have discontinued their treatment due to psychological or relationship problems.

974 couples were surveyed by the researchers and of these, 242 had stopped treatment. 26 per cent gave their psychological reasons while 15 per cent claimed they were having marital problems.

The findings are released as the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority launches a guide to help couples having IVF. The book, called Directory of Clinics - Your guide to infertility, offers advice and information on the range of options available and is the first comprehensive, clear and easy to understand guide on IVF.

Suzi Leather, HFEA chairman said "It is extremely important that anyone seeking advice and help for fertility treatment has as much information and support as possible."

She believes that many couples have misconceptions about IVF. "They really believe this is going to sort it out for them straight away and the facts are that it won't necessarily solve it for them straight away. They have inflated expectations."

The 114-page book also contains a directory of IVF clinics around the UK, outlining what services they offer and whether they treat NHS patients. It has real case histories to help people anticipate and plan for the sort of emotional difficulties they might face. It also has detailed medical explanations of what each different type of fertility treatment involves.

Clare Brown, Chief Executive, Infertility Network UK and HFEA member said: "We carried out a patient survey asking what information patients needed in trying to make decisions about fertility treatment. The HFEA have taken the survey results and made them into an easy to read question and answer guide freely available to anyone who needs it."

The book is available from Friday 5th March free of charge from the HFEA.

Last week, the National Institue for Clinical Excellence issued guidelines recommending that women under the age of 40 should receive three attempts at IVF on the NHS. The Government has ruled that, from April 2005, all women will be entitled to one free attempt at IVF.

• Visit the HFEA website to download the directory free of charge
• Is IVF worth all the stress? Air your views in Your Shout
• Find out more about infertility and read success stories in our Infertility section