In Ireland, there is no comprehensive State-funded fertility treatment, even when patients are receiving care and treatment for a condition or disease that affects their fertility, such as cancer, colitis or endometriosis. Generally, only the most expensive private health insurance packages cover infertility treatment and even then, they do not cover the entire cost. “It was like: ‘You’re not sick, why do you need time off?’”Hazlett hopes publicly-funded infertility treatment will help to improve awareness of infertility and its causes and treatments. There will be huge challenges to creating a functional and fair State-sponsored system of providing fertility treatment. It will be necessary to decide who is eligible for free fertility treatment and to establish criteria and cut-offs.

Source: The Irish Times January 16, 2021 06:00 UTC