Help to have a baby should not depend on where you live in, according to one woman fighting to end IVF's postcode lottery.
Melissa Myles would like to see the Government update its rules so woman are offered the same treatment throughout the country.
The Birmingham woman was told she could not have the treatment because her partner already has children.
In Bristol, women with partners who do have kids are still entitled to IVF. But for lots of areas up and down the country this is not the case.
Melissa had surgery for Crohn's disease in 2009 and was told it would not damage her chances of having a baby, according to our sister paper Birmingham Live .
Sadly, later tests showed scar tissue from her first operation had fused her fallopian tubes to her abdomen lining, leaving her infertile - meaning the only way she could have a baby was by IVF.
But, Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Groups said that, because her partner Joseph has two older children, the couple did not qualify for a round of IVF on the NHS.
"I just really want a baby, I’ve always wanted to have children," said the 34-year-old.
"Approximately 1 in 8 couples battle with infertility. With that battle comes many feelings of failure, helplessness, emptiness, loss and uncertainty.
"For some of these couples they are given the hope of overcoming this battle via IVF but these hopes are often crushed when they are refused the support of The NHS and their local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) .
"If they move one town over (under a different postcode) they would be funded for one, two and in some places three cycles of IVF. This is incredibly unfair for so many couples up and down the country."
The petition has already received more than 160 signatures.
“Imagine going to A&E with a broken leg, when you talk to the doctor about treatment you are told despite YOU having a broken leg you will have to pay for a cast because your PARTNER has two perfectly fine legs...Ludicrous isn’t it, said Melissa.
“Well this is the position I find myself in after surgeries for Crohns Disease and a pregnancy that ended at six weeks possibly as a result of (the stress of) a house burglary.
“We continued to try but was then told IVF seemed to be our only chance of conception, I then underwent another operation for Crohns where we were told that scarring had fused my tubes to my abdomen lining.
“We thought then that after that surgery I was as good as new but, this year, following tests we discovered that there was now more scaring that has encased both ovaries! And IVF is really our only hope, sadly the rules of our local CCG remain the same.
“Given the fact that I wasn’t given information about surgery affecting fertility and the surgery was for a health condition I really believe we should be granted funding.
“I also believe we are not the only couple in this predicament and the rules for funding need to be reviewed and adjusted accordingly.
“Through this petition I aim to overturn the unfair distribution of IVF funding throughout all CCG’s and to allow funding for at least one cycle for all couples across the country.”
