I was thrilled to speak to journalist Sophie Wilkinson for a brilliant article she wrote for The Sunday Times Style magazine about IVF add-ons: how the lack of NHS funding has pushed women into the private market, and how the baby business is only too happy to profit from selling us unregulated add-on treatments.
I added my own personal take, which was that it's essential that we have all the facts to make up our own minds and make a truly informed decision. My wonderful consultant didn't want to sell me tests or treatments he didn't believe were of any benefit - but I was a woman on a mission and was determined to throw everything and the kitchen sink at our treatment. And I'm glad I did, even though we weren't ultimately successful.
For me it was less about believing that these treatment would help us to have a baby, but rather than I was planning for what would happen if and when we ended up with no baby - so that I knew we couldn’t look back and think ‘what if?’
However plenty of Drs and clinics aren't so scrupulous - relying on patients to check out the HFEA website & traffic light system to find out if there's any evidence base for the treatments they're being recommended.
This is simply not good enough.
How can we give informed consent if we're not in possession of all the facts?
Check out the full article here: Selling Hope: How Wellness Cashed In On Fertility