NHS availability for IVF: FOI release

Information requested

I have a query regarding NHS availability for IVF. I would like to know if IVF is available to single woman in Scotland under extreme circumstances or if a certain diagnosis was made then an Individual Funding Request (or similar in Scotland) and if so how would it be done.

If it is available can I get the numbers on how many single woman accessed IVF in Scotland over the past 5 years.

Response

NHS IVF treatment involves removing an egg from a woman’s ovaries and fertilising it with sperm in a laboratory. The fertilised egg, called an embryo, is then returned to the woman’s womb to grow and develop. This is a technique available to help people with fertility problems have a baby and is available to couples in Scotland who meet the full NHS access criteria. NHS IVF treatment is not available for single women in Scotland and the Scottish Government does not hold data on single women in Scotland who may have accessed IVF treatment privately.

Therefore, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have all of the information you have requested. The reasons why we do not have the all of the information are explained in the Annex to this letter.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.