IVF Warning: Patients Lose Money as Concierge Clinic Closes

IVF patients are being warned over unregulated \"concierge clinics\" after a popular one went bust leaving scores of clients without treatment or refunds. The fertility watchdog has said that as these clinics do not provide IVF treatment directly, it does not have powers to regulate them. It is calling for the law to be strengthened to protect patients.

Syreeta Sandhu lost nearly £15,000 when her concierge clinic went bust. She paid Apricity, which matched her with an egg donor and contracted established clinic King's Fertility. She was due to start treatment in December last year when her appointments were cancelled without explanation. When she contacted King's, the clinic said data protection rules meant it did not have access to her file or details of her egg donor. It had not been paid by Apricity so her treatment could not begin.

Concierge clinics offer services like matching patients with donors and doctors, booking appointments and posting medication. The fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), is warning patients that these new services are not covered by its protections.

Clare Ettinghausen, director of strategy and corporate affairs at the HFEA, said: \"The fallout from Apricity's closure and the effect it had on patients highlights how the current law does not reflect the range and type of fertility treatments being offered today.\"

Syreeta is one of 52 patients owed money by Apricity. Beth Rodgers, 32, from Belfast has Turner syndrome, a rare genetic condition that means her ovaries do not produce eggs. She and her partner paid Apricity £4,600 and had been matched with an egg donor. In recent years, more British couples have paid for private fertility treatment, in part because IVF on the NHS is a postcode lottery.

Prof Emily Jackson, a researcher in medical law and ethics at the London School of Economics, advised patients to opt for treatment in an HFEA-licensed clinic. The Department of Health and Social Care is considering the HFEA's recommendations on modernising fertility law.

King's Fertility, which was providing Syreeta's treatment, was a contractor of Apricity's and is now a creditor of the company. Its director, Dr Ippokratis Sarris, advised patients to do careful research before choosing a provider, and to be cautious about paying upfront for multi-cycle packages.

According to the source: Yahoo.