THOUSANDS are set to qualify for a huge publicly funded medical treatment from today.
Tanaiste Simon Harris shared the news on X, formerly Twitter.
He said: “Today, we are expanding eligibility for publicly funded IVF.
“This announcement means those already with a child can now access the State scheme.
“A really positive development for those wishing to expand their family.”
Currently, the HSE offers three types of specialty treatment.
The treatments are:
You can get free IUI, IVF or ICSI through the HSE – though your GP or consultant must refer you to a regional fertility hub.
Here, they must recommend the treatment as long as you and your partner meet all the access criteria.
They may recommend IUI, IVF or ICSI if:
- you or your partner do not get pregnant after having other fertility treatment
- tests show this is the treatment you need
They may also be able to refer you to a private clinic that has been approved for the treatment.
But you cannot get this treatment for free through the HSE if you need donor eggs or sperm.
The access criteria for free IUI, IVF or ICSI treatment have to do with:
- residency
- age
- previous IVF treatment
- children
- number of parents
- relationship length
- sterilisation
- body mass index (BMI)
- lifestyle
You must be a resident of Ireland and aged 18 or older.
When your GP or consultant referred you to the regional fertility hub, you must be:
- under 41 if you’re a woman
- under 60 if you’re a man
TERMS OF TREATMENTS
You can get treatment if:
- you have not had free IVF through the HSE
- you had no more than 1 round of privately funded IVF before and have no unused embryos still in storage
- you started tests for IVF but have not started taking IVF medicine
You cannot have more than 1 living child between you.
This includes children you:
- adopted
- are the biological parent of
- plan to be parent of in a surrogacy arrangement
- are non-birth mother to in a same-sex female relationship
And only two people can plan to be the parents to the child, who must be in a relationship for at least one year.
You must never have had a sterilisation procedure to prevent pregnancy including a vasectomy or blocking or sealing your fallopian tubes (tubal ligation).
Women must have a BMI between 18.5 and 30, and if you’re planning to be the birth mother you must drink no more than one or two standard drinks up to two times a week.
If you plan to use your sperm for fertility treatment, you must drink no more than 3 to 4 standard drinks and no more than 10 standard drinks a week.
CONSULTANTS RECOMMENDATION
You must not smoke or have smoked in the last 3 months and must not take recreational drugs or have taken any for at least 3 months.
And even if you meet this criteria, your consultant at the regional fertility hub will have to recommend this treatment.
If they do, you:
- choose the clinic you want to use from the private fertility clinics we have approved
- must sign a consent form to say you are happy for a referral to be made to the clinic you choose and that your details can be shared with them
If your consultant recommends IVF, IUI or ICSI and you meet all the access criteria, you can get this treatment for free through the HSE.
Each couple can get 1 round of IVF or ICSI for free.
