“Where you live shouldn’t decide whether you become a parent”: MPs push for national fertility strategy

Fertility Action welcomes parliamentary support from Jess Brown-Fuller and Sir Gavin Williamson as Health Bill reaches crucial stage and Kate Osborne MP prepares to chair fertility roundtable on Wednesday

Fertility Action Charity has welcomed support from two MPs this week as its campaign for a National Fertility Strategy for England gathers momentum, with parliamentary action on NHS-funded IVF taking place alongside a roundtable bringing parliamentarians and stakeholders together to discuss how to move the campaign forward.

Jess Brown-Fuller MP has tabled an Early Day Motion (705) calling for a National Fertility Strategy, while Sir Gavin Williamson MP has tabled New Clause 104 to the Health Bill, seeking to standardise NHS-funded IVF provision across England.

The developments come ahead of a roundtable on Wednesday 9 September, chaired by Kate Osborne MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fertility, and hosted alongside Fertility Action.

The roundtable will bring together parliamentarians and stakeholders to discuss the case for a National Fertility Strategy and what is needed to move it forward. 

Yvette Cooper MP has been invited to attend.

Fertility Action says the combination of parliamentary activity and the roundtable demonstrates growing recognition that England’s fragmented approach to fertility care needs urgent reform.

The charity has been pushing for a National Fertility Strategy to create a coherent, national approach to fertility care and end the postcode lottery in access to treatment.

England’s IVF postcode lottery

NICE has recommended three full cycles of IVF for eligible women under 40 since 2004. However, the guidance does not bind commissioners, meaning that England’s 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) set their own policies.

Sir Gavin Williamson MP said:

“NICE has recommended three full cycles of IVF for eligible women under 40 since 2004. It has never been delivered.

“The guidance does not bind commissioners, so all 36 integrated care boards write their own policies. Only two of them match NICE. Nearly 70 per cent fund a single cycle, and 19 of those fund only a partial cycle, so not every viable embryo is transferred.

“The age limits are harder still to defend. Nineteen boards fund nothing at all for a woman over 40, though NICE recommends a full cycle up to 42. In Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West the cut-off is 35.

“The average first-time IVF patient is just over 35. These limits are drawn to fit local budgets, not the clinical evidence.

“Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each run a single national policy. England does not, and access here is narrowing. The NHS-funded share of IVF cycles in England has fallen from 32 per cent in 2019 to 25 per cent in 2024. Most patients now pay for their own treatment, and those who cannot afford it go without.”

Fertility Action says these variations are more than differences in local policy: they can determine whether someone receives treatment at all. 

For patients who cannot afford private IVF, a restrictive local NHS policy can mean having no realistic route to treatment.

New Clause 104 seeks national standards for NHS-funded IVF

New Clause 104 – NHS-funded In Vitro Fertilisation would require the Secretary of State to introduce regulations standardising NHS-funded IVF provision across all Integrated Care Boards in England.

The proposed clause would establish national requirements relating to:

  • the minimum number of IVF rounds available to an individual; and
  • the minimum and maximum age at which an individual can access IVF,

with provision made in accordance with existing NICE guidelines.

Fertility Action says this could provide an important mechanism for addressing some of the immediate inequalities in NHS-funded IVF, while a National Fertility Strategy would provide the wider framework needed to reform fertility care.

Katie Rollings Founder & CEO for Fertility Action Charity, said:

“Fertility Action has been pushing for a National Fertility Strategy because England urgently needs a national, and equitable approach to fertility care. Fertility challenges affect so many of our friends, families and colleagues - but still so few, understandably, feel comfortable talking about it, making it difficult to truly see the scale, in our day-to-day lives, of who is impacted. 

“We are incredibly grateful to see Jess Brown-Fuller and Sir Gavin Williamson helping to push this issue forward in Parliament this week. Their interventions demonstrate that the case for change is gaining political momentum.

“Next Wednesday, Kate Osborne, as Chair of the APPG for Fertility, who has supported this campaign for a long time, will chair a roundtable alongside Fertility Action to look at how we turn that momentum into action. We hope it will be an important opportunity to bring people together, build consensus and establish what needs to happen next.

“Patients cannot continue to face a system where their access to fertility treatment depends on their postcode. Where you live should not decide whether you have the opportunity to become a parent. We see too many people experiencing the heartbreaking and often devastating realities of this postcode lottery.

“We need national leadership, national standards and a clear strategy for fertility care.

“A National Fertility Strategy would provide the framework for long-term change, while measures such as NC104 could begin to tackle the immediate inequalities in NHS-funded IVF.

“We have been pushing for this change for some time. It is encouraging to see MPs helping to move the issue forward, and now we need the Government to act.”

MPs push for a National Fertility Strategy

On 1 September 2026, Jess Brown-Fuller MP tabled EDM 705 - National strategy for fertility.

The EDM calls for the Government to introduce a national fertility strategy to end the postcode lottery and ensure fair and consistent access to NHS-funded fertility services across England.

Jess Brown-Fuller MP explained; “The need for a national fertility strategy is urgently required, as we watch the reduction of services across multiple Integrated Care Boards. 

Currently, NICE guidelines are not being adhered to and consistent commissioning would end the postcode lottery and provide a reassurance to struggling families that their address won’t determine the support available on their fertility journey.

The EDM calls for the Government to introduce a national fertility strategy to end the postcode lottery and ensure fair and consistent access to NHS-funded fertility services across England”

Fertility Action says a National Fertility Strategy should look beyond IVF funding alone and provide a joined-up framework for fertility care, from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and support.

The charity is calling on the Government to:

  • Introduce a National Fertility Strategy for England.
  • End the postcode lottery in NHS-funded fertility treatment.
  • Standardise minimum NHS-funded IVF provision in line with NICE guidance.
  • Ensure age eligibility reflects clinical evidence and NICE recommendations.
  • Create a consistent national framework for fertility care.
  • Ensure patients who cannot afford private treatment are not excluded from fertility care.

Roundtable to focus on next steps

The parliamentary campaign will continue on Wednesday 9 September, when Kate Osborne MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fertility, will chair a roundtable alongside Fertility Action.

The discussion will focus on the case for a National Fertility Strategy, what it should contain and how parliamentary and stakeholder support can be translated into action.

Yvette Cooper MP has been invited to attend.

Fertility Action says the roundtable comes at an important moment, following the parliamentary activity around the National Fertility Strategy and NHS-funded IVF.

Katie Rollings, Fertility Action, added:

“Patients have waited long enough for fertility care to be treated as a national priority. 

“The political momentum is building. We now need to use it to deliver meaningful change.

“A National Fertility Strategy would give England the framework it needs to tackle the postcode lottery and put patients at the centre of fertility policy.

“We are ready to work with MPs, Government, clinicians, patients and other stakeholders to make that happen.”

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If you want to share your story, please contact:
Fertility Action Charity
katie@fertilityaction.org 
www.fertilityaction.org