Funding fertility: New proposals will help those seeking IVF treatment

Couples planning on going down the IVF route will welcome new proposals for state support of what is often an expensive treatment. However, writes Áilín Quinlan, the details have yet to be worked out

COUPLES having difficulty conceiving are set to avail of State-supported fertility treatment under new funding proposals to be announced by Health Minister Leo Varadkar.

It’s to be welcomed, say Ireland’s top infertility experts, but they point out that much has yet to be decided, including the nuts and bolts of the system, its structure, the criteria for selection of eligible couples, the kind of support it will provide and the number of cycles a couple will be entitled to.