�1.5m to aid fertility services

NI women are only allowed one free IVF cycle on the NHS

An additional £1.5m is to be spent annually on improving fertility services in Northern Ireland.

It is hoped the extra funding will lead to waiting times for patients due to begin IVF treatment being reduced from 18 months to one year.

The annual boost comes after a one-off investment of £800,000 in recent months to reduce waiting lists.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said current funding had provided for more than 400 cycles of treatment per year.

Mr McGimpsey said: "The extra recurrent funding I am providing will ensure that, going forward, no-one who qualifies for publicly funded treatment will have a waiting time of longer than a year, and should allow a move towards increasing the number of cycles of treatment."

It is an illness, either male or female factor infertility, and has to be treated like an illness Sharon Davidson In Fertility Network UK Heartbreaking wait for IVF

Currently, women in Northern Ireland are only allowed one free cycle on the NHS - unlike England where in most trusts women are entitled to three.

One woman, who is currently waiting to be told when her treatment will begin, told BBC News she thought this was "very unfair".

"I don't think one is enough because if you're depending on that one cycle it puts an awful lot of pressure on you for it to work.

"I think it should be at least three like they have in parts of England - we should be brought in line with them."

The names of patients will now be contained on one regional waiting list.

This will ensure equality of access to all Northern Ireland residents, according to the Department of Health.

Treatment is limited to those with a medical cause for infertility and in general couples must have been trying for a year to be diagnosed as having fertility problems.

Sharon Davidson, the Northern Ireland organiser for the In Fertility Network UK, welcomed the extra funding, but said, in reality, couples tend to have to wait more than 18 months for treatment.

"It is an illness, either male or female factor infertility, and has to be treated like an illness," she said.

"People's lives are on hold waiting on this one chance. For people to go privately it can cost up to £4,000."

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