No age bar as private Edinburgh IVF clinic to open doors

Published on Monday 8 February 2010 10:16

OLDER couples struggling to start a family are to be offered fresh hope with the opening of Lothian's first private IVF clinic.

Women over the age of 38 are barred from getting IVF by NHS Lothian due largely to the reduced chances of success.

But there will be no age bar on consultations at Shawfair Park Hospital when it opens in Shawfair, Midlothian, next month.

Doctors say they will treat every case individually and offer treatment – usually for about 5,000 a time – whenever it is safe and there is a reasonable prospect of success.

The clinic expects to treat hundreds of women every year following the success of a similar venture in Glasgow.

Couples face up to three years' wait in the Capital for NHS treatment – the longest in Scotland – with about 400 currently on waiting lists.

Spire Healthcare said the final decision to progress with treatment would be a medical one based on individual patients, but it would not discriminate on the grounds of age or sexual orientation.

However, its medics do warn that for women over 45 there are significantly more risks and less chance of success with the treatment, meaning doctors may recommend an individual not go ahead with the process.

The 25 million Spire hospital, on the Shawfair Park business centre development near Sheriffhall Roundabout, will include operating theatres, 15 beds, diagnostic facilities and a wide range of outpatient consulting services.

The fertility clinic will be run by IVF Scotland, a subsidiary of the Spire Healthcare hospital network.

Currently patients in the Lothians seeking private treatment have to get private referral to clinics in Glasgow or even London.

Caitlin Delaney, the lead embryologist for IVF Scotland, said: "We're dedicated to the provision of highly specialised treatment for couples with fertility problems.

"Our purpose-built centre is exceptional, the new laboratory and medical equipment will allow us to provide couples with the highest standard of care."

The team of globally-sourced staff hope the clinic – only the second such facility in Scotland – will become a world-leading institute for IVF treatment.

Gwenda Burns, Scottish branch co-ordinator for Infertility Network Scotland, said:

"This clinic is going to offer an alternative for patients, which is particularly good as it is another option for a couple to consider when faced with long waiting lists.

"For people suffering through infertility, waiting for treatment can be very distressing and I would imagine a lot of people will look at this option.

"On the issue of age, the NHS age limits are currently being looked at by the Scottish Government, but I think it is right that it comes down to a medical decision based on each individual."