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Jul 21, 2025, 10:57

Olubukola Ayodele: Existing Guidelines on NHS-Funded IVF in England

Olubukola Ayodele, Consultant Medical Oncologist at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“This is the current reality under existing guidelines, as outlined in the government’s publication on NHS-funded IVF in England.

Let’s break that down.

A young woman receives a life-changing breast cancer diagnosis. She is told that chemotherapy may affect her fertility. She may not yet have children. But because her partner has kids from a previous relationship, she’s told she isn’t eligible for funded fertility preservation.

In what world is that fair?

Cancer takes away so much! Your health, your peace of mind, your sense of control. To also strip away the possibility of biological motherhood, purely based on a partner’s parental status, feels deeply unjust. It reinforces the idea that a woman’s right to family planning is conditional and secondary.

And this matters more than ever. We are seeing increasing numbers of younger women being diagnosed with breast cancer, many in their 20s and 30s. Fertility preservation is not a luxury for these women; it’s a crucial part of their survivorship and long-term wellbeing.

It’s not just about eggs or embryos; it’s about hope, autonomy, and the ability to make choices about your future.

We need a nationally consistent, equitable policy on fertility preservation for cancer patients. One that centres the patient, not their partner. A policy that recognises the emotional and psychological impact of losing fertility and offers timely, funded options to those who need it most.

This issue often doesn’t get the attention it deserves because fertility sits in that uncomfortable space between oncology and reproductive medicine. But patients don’t live in silos and neither should policy.

As clinicians, advocates, and allies, we must speak up.

We must push for a review of outdated policies that penalise women for circumstances beyond their control. Everyone facing cancer deserves the right to explore fertility preservation, regardless of their relationship status or their partner’s past.”

Olubukola Ayodele: Existing Guidelines on NHS-Funded IVF in England