Fertility charity launches campaign on NHS IVF postcode lottery

Fertility Action has launched a campaign highlighting England’s NHS IVF postcode lottery, delivering 30 boxes of negative pregnancy tests to Parliament.

The charity is calling for fairer access to NHS-funded fertility treatment, with each box representing an Integrated Care Board (ICB) offering eligible patients just one funded IVF cycle.

Of those 30 ICBs, 19 offer only a partial cycle.

Research commissioned by Fertility Action found that 86 per cent of respondents believed it was unfair that access to NHS-funded IVF could depend on where someone lives.

A further 94 per cent said treatment should be provided equitably across England, while only 39 per cent knew people could be denied NHS-funded IVF because of their location.

The campaign also highlights figures showing that just 25 per cent of IVF cycles in England were NHS-funded in 2024.

Founded in 2025 by parliamentary campaigner Katie Rollings, Fertility Action supports individuals and couples experiencing infertility, subfertility and secondary infertility.

Rollings said: “Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you have a fair chance to build a family. Yet across England, people are being denied access to fertility treatment simply because of their postcode.

“Behind every negative pregnancy test is someone facing another month of testing, waiting and wondering. That’s why thousands of negatives are calling for one positive change.

“We’re asking the Government to ensure NHS-funded fertility treatment follows NICE guidance, giving eligible people fair access wherever they live.”

The campaign, titled With You Through Testing Times, was developed pro bono by advertising agency Publicis London, with input from employees who have experienced fertility challenges and members of the wider fertility community.

It features animated digital out-of-home adverts showing pregnancy tests displaying personal thoughts rather than conventional positive or negative results.

Messages include ‘That was our last chance’, ‘Positive… For now’ and ‘Maybe I’m not meant to be a mum’.

Personal accounts also feature on Fertility Action’s social media channels, where contributors share the experiences behind their tests.

People who have experienced fertility challenges will be invited to contribute pregnancy tests from their own journeys to a central collection box.

The box will later be taken to the gates of Downing Street alongside a large missed-delivery card addressed to the Government.

The card carries the message ‘Sorry you keep missing the issue’, with a QR code directing people to a petition calling for an end to the IVF postcode lottery.

Ruth Railton, creative and content director at Publicis London, said: “Pregnancy tests carry an extraordinary emotional weight. Some of us working on this campaign know that from personal experience.

The initiative follows an earlier collaboration between Fertility Action and Publicis London on The Life Changing Lottery, an outdoor advertising concept addressing geographical inequalities in NHS-funded IVF access.