When Sharon and I decided to start trying for a baby, one of our biggest hurdles was cost. Back in our day, there were no affordable options. There were no payment plans for IVF or IUI. You had to quite literally save thousands of pounds just for one cycle, not to mention the rest if the first cycle was unsuccessful.
Nowadays, things are a little different. Not only are the rules around fertility assistance for LGBTQ+ couples different, but it’s more affordable. That’s not to say it’s necessarily cheaper, but access to payment plans, for example, is more accessible. There are also savings to be made nowadays when it comes to the medication required to conceive.
Before anyone mentions it, no, we’re not trying for number two. But, I am always one to remain informed as to what options are available for LGBTQ+ people wanting to expand their family. This week, The Fertility Medication Centre (TFMC) approached us to talk about what they have to offer LGBTQ+ people and how they could help you grow your family.
Promoting inclusivity for ALL
- The population of the UK is estimated to be around 68 million.
- Around 1-in-6 heterosexual couples have difficulty in conceiving. This is approximately 3.5 million people in the UK.
- There are over 2 million people who identify as LGBTQ+ and around 15% of the population of the UK identify as being from diverse groups, that is over 10 million people!
- Some individuals in each of these groups will at some point along the way require some sort of fertility assistance.
The Fertility Medication Centre’s (TFMC) mission is to make having fertility treatment more affordable, and therefore more accessible for those unable to conceive naturally, by trying to reduce the amount of debt patients may take on to achieve their dream of starting a new family. TFMC does this by materially reducing the high costs of fertility medication but using the same suppliers as the private clinics.
TFMC was founded by Eddie Kuan who has spent 25 years in the fertility industry. He has held senior executive positions in several prominent infertility clinics in the UK. As the NHS continues to cut their support budgets for IVF, and private clinics continue to hike up their prices due to the increasing demand, Eddie wanted to give back to patients. Offering to help them the instant they needed private fertility treatment, by making it more affordable and therefore more accessible.
Cost
The cost of private fertility treatment essentially breaks down into two areas; the treatment cycle and medication. Whilst an individual takes time and trouble to select their favoured clinic, and therefore must pay that clinics cycle costs, the medication is a different matter. Here you are able to get a quote from the clinic and then are able to shop around, although the private clinics will not highlight this to you. You will be able to save on almost every occasion.
TFMC wish to make patients seeking fertility treatment aware that they have a choice when it comes to buying their fertility medication. At present once they have chosen the clinic that they wish to use they will be advised of what medication they will need. Research shows that up to 40% of the total costs for a single IVF treatment cycle could relate to the cost of the medication and that on average it takes around three cycles to conceive (according to NHS). According to Fertility Network Groups, the cost of a single cycle could be as much as £10,000, of which £4,000 could be for medication!
Whilst you have a choice of requesting a prescription and trying to see whether you can source the medication elsewhere substantially cheaper, a number of clinics don’t readily make you aware of this and in the end you just buy from them at much higher prices. TFMC can help you change this.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could go to the same pharmaceutical group that supplies the private Clinics, get it delivered to you at exactly the same time and save up to 25% on the cost. This is what TFMC is promoting.
The process is simple
Email TFMC the fertility medication you are seeking, and within a few hours you will get back a no obligation quote and if you wish to proceed, ask your clinic for a private prescription and just email it to receive the medication. Patients should request an electronic prescription that could save them up to 25% of their medication costs on each cycle AND with the comfort in knowing that the supply and delivery come from exactly the same pharmaceutical company that the private clinics use.
The Fertility Medication Centre wish for individuals to be able to exercise their right to choose and thereby possibly save up to £1,000 per cycle that can be spent on their new family. TFMC can help them achieve this.
Comparisons between private fertility clinics, private pharmacies and certain supermarkets show that TFMC have been able to better them on price. Whilst they are technically not a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation the intention is to share the discounts they receive with the patient. Hence profits are intended to be minimal. It is interesting to note that in the above cost comparison on just one cycle there was over a £1,000 difference in the price between the private fertility clinic and that being offered by TFMC. These are real savings and more so if you have three cycles.
TFMC has also been formally recognised for the work it is doing by being supported as partners by two well known UK fertility charities, The Fertility Foundation and The Fertility Road Magazine, and they are working with these charities tirelessly to spread the message.
Through awareness, TFMC can make a difference. If you’d like to find out more or follow them on social media, you can find them on Facebook @TheFertilityMedicationCentre, LinkedIn @TheFertilityMedicationCentre and Pinterest @TheFertilityMedicationCentre!
Feature image credit: John Looy / Unsplash
