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All we want in the world is to start a family, say IVF couple

What Kate and Steve Edwards want more than anything in the world is to start a family together - but a postcode lottery on fertility treatment is stopping them turning that dream into a reality.

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The couple, who are both aged 35, were married at Himley Hall in 2009 and both spoke of their desire to have children.

However after struggling to conceive naturally the couple say they have been thwarted in their attempts to seek further help through In vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment due to a policy by one Black Country health body.

Mrs Edwards suffered two miscarriages and subsequent use of fertility drugs has proved unsuccessful.

Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group states if couples have been infertile for a minimum of three years they can apply for one course of IVF funding.

But if a couple miscarries they deem that they can conceive naturally and therefore reset the three year time limit.

"It has left me heartbroken as we've been through so much with fertility drugs and what we see is low quality care," said Mrs Edwards who lives in Lower Gornal and works in marketing.

Mrs Edwards grew up in Dudley while her husband Steven moved to the town from Wolverhampton when they set up home together.

"The first few years we really thought nothing of it. We were living our lives, we had just got married and it wasn't a big issue because we thought it would happen in time," she said.

In September 2012, Mrs Edwards went for further tests. It was then medical experts told the couple their only option was to try IVF

But in October 2011 they decided to seek assurances from their GP who gave them advice on ways to improve fertility.

In September 2012, Mrs Edwards went for further tests.

It was then medical experts told the couple they should prepare themselves as their only option was to try IVF.

"We felt devastated - no couple wants to hear that," Mrs Edwards said. "What we wanted was to try some other options first."

"It was only through talking to other women that I began to realise the disparity in care in the tests that we were being offered and also the treatment options."

The couple on their wedding day

Mr and Mrs Edwards decided to seek a second opinion before they ventured into IVF so they sought a private consultation and were prescribed the fertility drug Clomid.

They tried it for around six months without any further progress.

Mrs Edwards also had a procedure after a suspected growth called a polyp was found but this was subsequently found not to be the case.

They had their NHS IVF referral in August 2013 to Midland Fertility which has its clinic in Tamworth.

But the clinic referred them back again after a polyp was suspected again.

After her family paid £3,000 for a private operation, which again found no polyp, the couple were given another course of hormone treatment.

In November 2013 Mrs Edwards became pregnant only to miscarry a few months later.

They tried the drugs again and were successful for a second time in becoming pregnant in March 2014.

"We were just so excited," Mrs Edwards said. But they were delivered the devastating blow that Mrs Edwards had miscarried for the second time.

"It eats into your everyday life. Since the procedure 2012 I can't say I've felt truly happy because of the stress and pressure of it people don't understand how stressful it is physically, mentally, emotionally.

"It is everything – the financial pressure of it. You don't go out, you don't drink."

Officials at Dudley CCG today said they are aware different CCGs apply their own criteria for deciding on funding saying some do not fund IVF at all.

In a statement the trust said: "We want to ensure that funding is not used for unnecessary treatment.

"We believe that sufficient time should be allowed for natural conception to occur. This is why criteria around a three year infertility period in our current policy.

"We can confirm that Dudley CCG currently only funds one cycle of IVF. Whilst NICE provides national guidance on healthcare interventions, we need to consider local priorities and place funding into the areas of most need locally."

Dudley CCG clinical executive, Dr Steve Mann, said: "I emphasise with any couple whose lives and future are subject to a policy decision.

"Unfortunately, we have to make difficult decisions about what should be prioritised for funding.

"It is our responsibility to ensure the decisions that are made; best meet the needs of our population.

"We do take personal circumstances into account, if any couple are unfortunate enough to have had a miscarriage, then clearly the possibility of a 'natural' conception and pregnancy still exists. This is the safest route for both mother and child.

Clinical Commissioning Groups across Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Solihull have come together to create a single assisted conception policy which includes the funding of IVF.

Women are entitled to further investigation possibly leading to a course of IVF subject to criteria after one year of infertility.

But Dudley CCG has not signed up to this joint policy.

Around 100 applications for IVF funding are received by Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group each year. Of these, around half are approved.

Mr Edwards said: "Every time you make a choice you are reminded that that little bit of freedom is not open to us at the moment.

"We are both going through it in a lot of ways. It has been very difficult for me as well. I have just wanted to be there for her too to support her through everything and it is easy."

Mrs Edwards added: "We are lucky we have got great families behind us as for some couples it may have torn them.

"Increasingly now I feel it is important to start talking about it.

"It is ironic that if I had moved to where my husband is from then we wouldn't have faced this problem."

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