This research project explores what choices participants make to have a family after being declined for NHS-funded IVF.

The Research

The NHS and the UK government do not currently record data for how potential parents choose to have a family if they are declined NHS-funded IVF. This research aims to explore the choices people make to have a family (or not), so that we can identify possible consequences of declining to fund IVF that the NHS may not be considering.

At present, the data is being collected via a survey of self-selected participants. We hope the data from this survey will add to the broader conversation about the ethical implications of the availability of IVF under the NHS.

The Researcher

This research is being undertaken by Dr Molly Nobes, as part of a Masters by Research project in Bioethics at the University of Bristol. Molly is a junior doctor, currently working in Emergency Medicine, with a keen interest in women’s health. She has a Bioethics degree and a Medical degree, both from the University of Bristol.

Funding and supervision

This study is funded by the Wellcome Trust Masters Programme in Humanities and Social Sciences.

The supervisors for the project are Dr Zuzana Deans and Prof Jonathan Ives.

Research Questions

The primary research question is: How should the NHS provide access to IVF?

The research will also seek the answer the following:

1. How are NHS IVF services currently delivered in the UK?

2. What are the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for IVF service delivery in the UK?

3. What is the rationale underpinning the current method of delivering IVF services?

4. How does the delivery of IVF services differ from the NICE guidelines?

5. What are the ethical dimensions to how IVF is currently provided by the NHS?

6. Do people have children after being denied IVF funding, and if so, how do they choose to facilitate this?

7. Is there a correlation between certain patient groups, such as people in a lower income bracket, and how they choose to facilitate having children?

8. What are the ethical dimensions of the choices people make following being declined for IVF funding?

9. Is there an alternative way to provide NHS-funded IVF than the current system which would be more ethically justifiable?

Ethics Approval

This research has been given a favourable opinion by the University of Bristol Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee [REF: 12799]