Sarah Norcross, director of PET, said:
Women should be fully appraised of how much their treatment will cost. It is very disappointing to learn that the final bill can be 50-110% more than some clinics are advertising.
Already, women who freeze their eggs depend upon being given honest, accurate information about their chances of eventual success, because there is never a guarantee that frozen eggs - once thawed and used in treatment - will result in a pregnancy and then a live birth. Women need and deserve equally accurate information about how much egg freezing is actually going to cost them.
The HFEA's Code of Practice states that fertility clinics should provide patients with a personalised costed treatment plan at the very outset, before the patient has committed to anything. Clinics should abide by both the letter and the spirit of this regulatory requirement. If they are failing to do so, then patients should be warned.
In the Daily Mail Sarah Norcross said:
Women aged 40 and above who are considering freezing their eggs need good quality, independent information about their reduced prospects of future success. Clinic marketing materials can give an unrealistically optimistic impression.
Any woman who freezes her eggs at this age... should be aware that their chances of success are lower.
