varoblog

(wz) Smokers have been banned from having IVF treatment, Wales on Sunday can reveal.
Hospitals have been accused of rationing IVF by denying the treatment to smokers.
And it is not just childless women that are being forced to give up the habit before they are considered for the fertility treatment.
Health Commission Wales, the country’s main health watchdog, said their partners must also quit smoking before the treatment is given.
IVF is only available through the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust in Wales at the moment. Women living in North Wales are expected to cross the border into England for treatment.
A spokesperson for Health Commission Wales confirmed the policy.
He said: “Couples or single women that smoke will only be accepted on to the IVF treatment waiting list if they agree to take part in a supported programme of smoking cessation and must be non-smoking at time of treatment. This is because smoke inhalation has a negative impact on the effectiveness of IVF treatment.” more…

From: »Wales Online«

This entry was posted on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 08:00 by Werner Zapf and is filed under Industry, Media, r & d. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.