'Lorraine' Viewers Slam Guest Who Argues NHS Should Not Fund IVF Because There Are 'Other Options' | HuffPost Life

'I wouldn't have my beautiful son if it wasn't for IVF.'

By

Life editor at HuffPost UK

Viewers of ‘Lorraine’ reacted with anger to a guest on the show who claimed that women should not be able to get IVF on the NHS.

Sirena Bergman, a journalist from London, was on the show to discuss the recent news that there has been an NHS IVF cut back in 13 areas of England.

Bergman wrote for the Independent on this topic, explaining: “Instead of making adoption and fostering accessible (and more financially viable for most people), we’re pushing women towards IVF, a treatment which costs thousands of pounds and has a relatively small success rate.”

Speaking on ‘Lorraine’ on Wednesday 9 August, Bergman said: “I think what we need to remember the social perception of women and the idea for a woman to live a fulfilled life she must give birth to a child.

“There are other options available.”

ITV/Lorraine

Bergman didn’t answer whether or not she had kids, explaining it wasn’t relevant to the argument, but continued: “We need to reframe the idea that a man and woman should be married and one of them should give birth to a baby. That’s not the reality we live in and it’s problematic.”

She said IVF, which costs up to £5,000 per cycle, is not cost-effective.

Many people strongly disagreed and they aired their anger on Twitter.

Bergman was on the show alongside a doctor, Virginia Bolton, who argued that the fertility treatment is cost-effective.

Dr Bolton said: “Three cycles of IVF gives people the best chance of success. It is the recommendation made by a body of experts, who know the field.

“It is a cost-effective form of therapy. If that’s the only thing that can help them and only thing that will help them achieve what they yearn so much for, this should be given to them.”

‘Lorraine’ is on ITV on weekdays from 8.30am.

Before You Go

10 Things You May Not Know About Your Fertility

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1. Your fertility is mostly determined by genetics, which influences how many eggs you are born with. Doctors believe that the number of eggs you have at birth determines the length of time you will remain fertile. At birth, women have about two million eggs in their ovaries. For every egg ovulated during your reproductive life, about 1,000 eggs undergo programmed cell death. Other things, such as smoking cigarettes and certain types of chemotherapy, can accelerate egg cell death and promote an earlier menopause.

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2. Regular menstrual cycles are a sign of regular ovulation.Most women have regular cycles lasting between 24 and 35 days. This is usually a sign of regular, predictable ovulation. Women who do not ovulate regularly have irregular menstrual cycles. Those who do not ovulate at all may have a genetic condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

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3. Basal temperature charting does not predict ovulation.An older method of tracking ovulation involves taking your oral body temperature each morning before getting out of bed. This is called basal body temperature. This method is used to spot a rise in basal temperature, which is a sign that progesterone is being produced. The main problem with using this method is that your temperature rises after ovulation has already occurred. This makes it more difficult to time intercourse at an optimal time for conception. A better method is to use over-the-counter urine ovulation predictor test kits such as Clearblue Easy. These kits test for the hormone that prompts ovulation, which is called luteinizing hormone (LH).

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4. Most women with blocked fallopian tubes are completely unaware they may have had a prior pelvic infection.About 10 percent of infertility cases are due to tubal disease, either complete blockage or pelvic scarring causing tubal malfunction. One major cause of tubal disease is a prior pelvic infection from a sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia. These infections can cause so few symptoms that you may be completely unaware your tubes are affected. This is why fertility physicians will order a dye test of the tubes, called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), if you have been trying and failing to conceive for 6 months or longer.

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5. In most cases, stress does not cause infertility. Except in rare cases of extreme physical or emotional distress, women will keep ovulating regularly. Conceiving while on vacation is likely less about relaxation than about coincidence and good timing of sex.

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6. By age 44, most women are infertile, even if they are still ovulating regularly. Even with significant fertility treatment, rates of conception are very low after age 43. Most women who conceive in their mid-40s with fertility treatment are using donated eggs from younger women.

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7. Having fathered a pregnancy in the past does not guarantee fertility. Sperm counts can change quite a bit with time, so never assume that a prior pregnancy guarantees fertile sperm. Obtaining a semen analysis is the only way to be sure the sperm are still healthy!

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8. For the most part, diet has little or nothing to do with fertility. Despite popular press, there is little scientific data showing that a particular diet or food promotes fertility. One limited study did suggest a Mediterranean diet with olive oil, fish and legumes may help promote fertility.

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9. Vitamin D may improve results of fertility treatments. A recent study from the University of Southern California suggested that women who were undergoing fertility treatments, but had low vitamin D levels, might have lower rates of conception. This vitamin is also essential during pregnancy. At Pacific Fertility Center, we recommend our patients take 2,000-4,000 IU per day.

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10. Being either underweight or overweight is clearly linked with lowered levels of fertility. The evidence in recent years is that obesity is clearly linked with a longer time to conception. Having a body mass index less than 18 or over 32 is associated with problems ovulating and conceiving, as well as problems during pregnancy.

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