Fertility patients have expressed deep concern about the lack of clarity around the government’s plans to introduce public funding for IVF treatment.

Last year, the government announced a €10 million allocation for publicly funded IVF as part of Budget 2023. However, details about how this funding is to be allocated has been limited.

According to a new survey, this lack of clarity is causing widespread concern, with potential participants worrying about what will be covered.

The survey of over 1,000 people included current and past fertility patients, as well as people who have not yet started treatment. Altogether, 67% had undergone fertility treatment previously and among these, 54% were considering delaying further treatment until public funding becomes available.

When asked about specific concerns they had in relation to public funding, 85% were concerned about how many IVF cycles will be covered, while 83% were concerned about whether age limits would apply.

Some 53% said they were concerned about possible restrictions due to body mass index (BMI) and 42% were concerned about whether LGBTQI+ people would be able to avail of it.

Meanwhile, 41% were concerned about whether single women will be able to avail of treatment with donor sperm.

Commenting on the results of the survey, the chairperson of the National Infertility Support and Information Group (NISIG), Caitríona Fitzpatrick, described them as “deeply worrying but not surprising”.

“They mirror the stress and anxieties about the lack of information around public funding for IVF that many people are reaching out to us with. While we warmly welcomed the announcement that fertility treatment would finally be provided through public funding from September, there is a real lack of clarity and information about the plans at this stage.

“We are unclear as who will be able to avail of this treatment, what if any qualifying criteria will be in place, what the full budget for the treatment will be, where it will be available and what the follow-on plans for 2024 are,” she noted.

She said that those trying to start a family using fertility treatment are already in a very difficult and stressful situation.

“It is unacceptable that this situation is exacerbated further by keeping everyone in the dark with regards to the plans for the roll-out in September,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.

The survey of 1,088 people from 20 counties nationwide was carried out in March 2023 on behalf of the fertility provder, Sims IVF.