Date Published: 13 May 2010

(UK) HFEA sets fees for single embryo IVF treatment

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has announced it will re-define the fee it charges clinics for IVF following a single embryo transfer.

The move recognises that patients who transfer only one embryo per round of treatment should not be penalised within the existing scheme.

Under the new arrangement, from 1 October 2010 clinics will pay the HFEA fee of £104.50 for a patient's initial treatment cycle using single embryo transfer. If the first cycle is unsuccessful, each additional frozen embryo transfer will not be charged.

Currently, clinics pay the HFEA for each cycle of IVF they carry out. Many clinics pass this fee onto patients. The extra cost can influence patients to have multiple embryos transferred in a single cycle, increasing the risk of a multiple pregnancy.

Chair of the HFEA Prof Lisa Jardine said:

“We want to send a positive message to patients and clinics that we are doing everything in our power to promote low risk single embryo transfer fertility treatment.

Redefining the HFEA fee demonstrates our commitment to ensuring we remove obstacles that discourage patients from choosing single embryo transfer for their treatment. ?

Note about the source of this item: The HFEA is the UK government's independent regulator for IVF treatment and embryo research. Their role is to protect patients and the public interest, to drive improvement in the treatment and research sectors and to provide information to the public and policymakers about treatment and research. The HFEA was set up in August 1991 as part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (UK Law), 1990. The HFEA's principal tasks are to license and monitor clinics that carry out in vitro fertilisation (IVF), donor insemination (DI) and human embryo research. The HFEA also regulates the storage of gametes (eggs and sperm) and embryos.

News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) on 12 May 2010 and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion here. For further information, please visit their website.