Fertility watchdog urges better deal for patients

LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) British infertility patients need to be better informed about what treatments are available, who can receive them and how much they cost, the head of the nation's fertility watchdog said today.

Suzi Leather of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) told a meeting to mark National Fertility Day that despite their achievements, clinics need to do more. 'I want to see patients being fully informed about infertility, not kept in the dark or fed misleading claims,'' she said.

''Each and every patient should be in a position to make the best possible personal choice, including information about cost.'' Britain's success in providing treatment to infertile couples was marked earlier this year with the birth of the 100,000th baby conceived through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Pregnancy and birth rates across the country have risen. The average success rate for IVF treatment is 28.2 per cent for women under 35 years old.

But Leather said access to treatment and supplies of donor eggs and sperm are problems. More than a third of patients end up paying more than they had expected for treatment and nearly a fifth gave their clinic a poor rating.

''The common complaint is the lack of customer care or emotional support for patients,'' said Leather.

Treatment on the National Health Service (NHS) is also not consistent throughout the country. About 25 per cent of IVF treatments are funded by the NHS.

Patients have told the authority they set aside between 4,000 and 8,000 pounds for each IVF attempt at a private clinic.

The HFEA is also concerned about the high number of multiple births, which can be dangerous for the mother and babies, resulting from fertility treatment.

''We are currently looking at how we can make a workable and acceptable policy to further tackle the problem of multiple births,'' she added.

About one in seven couples, approximately 3.5 million people, in Britain have difficulty conceiving, according to the HFEA.

REUTERS KD RK0926