Woman calls for IVF rule change

A woman who was told she could not have IVF treatment because her husband has children from a previous marriage has called for a change in NHS guidelines.

Janine Macallister, 27, of Newport, Shropshire, has begun an online petition after being rejected by Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust.

She has been trying for a baby for five years and would be allowed the treatment under national guidelines.

The primary care trust has said it will now review its own.

Mrs Macallister and her husband Jason have appealed against the trust's decision and begun a petition on the gopetition.co.uk website calling for its rules to be changed.

'Angry and upset'

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) allows individual trusts to make its own decisions on infertility treatment.

Its own guidelines say that women should be allowed three cycles of IVF if they are aged between 23 and 39, have an identified cause for their fertility problems and have had the problems for at least three years.

But Telford and Wrekin PCT has said treatment is not available to couples who already have children by their current or any previous relationships.

Mrs Macallister said she had been through all the other infertility treatments available on the NHS and felt "disgusted, angry and upset" when told she couldn't have IVF treatment.

She said she was told if she found a different partner she would be treated "straight away".

She added that her husband knew it was "his past life is stopping us and he feels very upset about that".

A spokesman for NHS Telford and Wrekin said it was not able to comment on individual cases.

He added: "However, we can confirm that the policy regarding fertility treatment is currently under review.

"We would like to assure Mrs Macallister that this policy will be discussed at our priorities committee as soon as possible."

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