Fertility watchdog crackdown on clinics ‘enticing desperate women with financial incentives to give eggs away’
Some women given free or cheaper treatment if they agree to donate half their healthy eggs
A FERTILITY watchdog has launched a crackdown on clinics who lure desperate women with financial incentives into giving away their eggs.
A probe by the Daily Mail revealed The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has started an investigation into IVF cowboys targeting wannabe mums.
One clinic has already reportedly been banned from offering "egg sharing", which gives women free or cheaper treatment if they agree to donate half their healthy eggs.
Couples then keep half the healthy eggs collected for their own IVF, while the rest are used for another woman’s treatment.
These clinics reportedly charge other infertile couples as much as £7,500 a time for the donated eggs.
Some practices also apparently target couples on low incomes and offer high interest loans to fund treatment.
Others cruelly give false hope to desperate women by exaggerating their success rates with frozen eggs.
It comes following a rise in women being forced to go private for IVF treatment because of NHS cuts.
The watchdog found one clinic was “exploiting desperate women on low incomes”.
They confirmed the clinic would have a condition put on its licence banning egg sharing until improvements were made.
A report added: "The centre is promoting egg donation as a scheme to enable patients to afford their fertility treatment, potentially to its financial benefit.
"The centre places an emphasis on financial incentive rather than altruism."
It is now planning to work financial authorities to cut the risk of women falling victim to high interest loans, and will monitor websites to ensure they are not exploiting people.
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