A woman has shared her heartbreak after being told she isn’t eligible for IVF on the NHS following her cancer battle as she’s single – leaving her facing a £10,000 cost.
When Amy Storr found out she had cancer and needed emergency chemotherapy as her life was on the line, she immediately worried about her chances of becoming a mum.
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The 32-year-old, from Cleckheaton, had dreamed about having children since she was a little girl and so delayed her treatment by three weeks to freeze her eggs.
After being given the go-ahead for fertility treatment, she was overjoyed – but then suffered another blow when the NHS said she wasn’t eligible for IVF treatment since she is single.
Now, she’s facing a £10,000 per round cost to go through the process alone and says she feels “penalised” by the system for not having a partner.
“I am devastated and heartbroken,” the former gym manager told Need To Know.
“I’ve had to choose between surviving cancer and becoming a mum.
“It’s hard enough having to come to terms with that, as a single woman, I will not be able to have children naturally.
“I’ve been left mourning the loss of my womanhood.
“The one thing I was set out to do in life will now cost me a fortune – it’s unfair.
“It’s made me so upset and angry, especially after the situation that has brought me to this.
“I get so emotional every time I speak about this, as it’s constantly on my mind and the stress levels are something else.”
Amy was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in November 2021.
While shocked, she was only focused on her fertility – especially after previously suffering a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy – which left her soul “destroyed”.
She said: “These losses are something that has never and will never, leave me.
“Whenever a friend says they’re pregnant, a part of me dies inside.
“I had done some research on the next steps of cancer treatment in line with fertility as I wanted to be prepared.
“I had one operation for egg retrieval, where they collected nine eggs – six of which were viable – and hoped for another round, but I was risking my life since I had already delayed treatment.
“If I didn’t have the chemo, I would have died, no question, as it was a very aggressive form that grew very quickly.”
She was given the all-clear in June 2022 and spoke with the NHS fertility clinic about her options.
But then, the nightmare ordeal continued.
Amy said: “I was told that as I was single, that there would be no help with funding.
“At this point, I was still working on getting myself back stronger, healthier and coming to terms with all I had been through – so I didn’t think about the cost.
“As things had moved so quickly from being diagnosed to going through egg retrieval and then treatment, the details of fertility had taken a shelf so I could focus on surviving.
“I was hoping to try intrauterine insemination (IUI), where the sperm is directly placed into the uterus, but my follicle levels had halved, so I was left with IVF.”
According to the NHS website, those under 40 must have either been trying for two years through regular, unprotected sex or have gone through 12 cycles of artificial insemination – six of IUI – with no success to be eligible for funding.
There are other criteria depending on the local area, such as: not having children already from a current or previous relationship, being a healthy weight, being a non-smoker and falling into a certain age range.
As Amy’s case doesn’t fall into these categories and she will need a sperm donor since she’s single, the cost and her future have been left entirely in her hands.
Now, she’s hoping to raise awareness for others going through a similar situation and to fundraise for IVF, with £1,010 raised out of £5,000 so far.
She added: “Having to find this kind of money is insane.
“I feel for anyone who has ever been in a situation where they have had to find the money to become a parent this way.
“My fertility has been compromised because of chemotherapy treatment and my heart aches for a baby that doesn’t even exist yet.
“I’ve had to fight for my life and now come up with an extortionate amount of money for what should be the happiest chapter and journey of my life.
“I would have given birth to a football team of kids if I could, but even only one child would mean everything to me.”
A spokesperson for the NHS West Yorkshire ICB said: “All West Yorkshire places (Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield District) adopted the Yorkshire and Humber Access to Fertility Treatment Policy when they were clinical commissioning groups.
“The current policy is for couples, which means that single people are not eligible”.
