As a direct victim of the limitations in our reproductive healthcare system, I am beginning this journey in the hope of saving others from unnecessary pain and heartache wherever possible.

My husband and I spent arduous years attempting to conceive naturally, but our hopes were left to the mercy of IVF. We were fortunate initially to get five high-quality embryos, but of those, four resulted in miscarriages. The first miscarriage required a medical procedure to deal with a missed miscarriage (D&C). On average a D&C will cost the NHS around £2200. The other three losses led to intense personal trauma, necessitating costly therapy and counseling, all borne by the NHS and us personally. Each therapy session with a bereavement specialist costs in excess of £95 per session. I want to share these costs as an indication of just how much these costs can burden our already struggling NHS. Not to mention the personal cost to our relationships, work, and family and friends' support system. 

Pre-genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGTA) during IVF is a procedure that inspects embryos for chromosomal abnormalities, greatly reducing heart-wrenching experiences like ours. By identifying non-viable embryos, PGTA can limit the risk of unnecessary miscarriages in the future. Sadly, this is not currently standard practice across IVF treatments. PGTA testing is not currently offered on the NHS as it is an expensive process, however, on average it costs around £500 per embryo. 

The cost of several rounds of treatment and subsequent therapeutic support drains our National Health Services, resulting in the lack of resources for other critical healthcare areas. Ensuring PGTA testing as a standard part of the IVF process can save the NHS a substantial amount of resources in the long run. A recent American study found that women undergoing IVF achieved a 95% pregnancy success rate over the course of three consecutive frozen embryo transfers when Embryo Genetic Testing (PGT-A) was utilised.

We need to make PGTA testing standard not only to reduce the financial strain on our healthcare system but more importantly, to spare prospective parents from the emotional agony of recurrent miscarriages. The cost of PGTA testing should be factored into the initial funding as this act of foresight would diminish the overall cost of treatment.

Help us lead a change in our system for the better. Support our plea to prioritise mental health and reduce fertility treatment failures by making PGTA testing standard during IVF. By signing this petition, you can help prospective parents avoid unnecessary grief and bring greater efficiency to our healthcare system. Please sign and share the petition. Let's make a difference together.