Erin Lavery, a 23-year-old nail technician from Cambuslang, has been told she must act quickly to preserve her fertility after her cancer treatment left her fertility “heavily affected.” She now faces an £8,000 bill for egg retrieval because NHS funding is not available for fertility preservation following her cancer treatment.
Erin was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma in August 2024. After completing her treatment, tests revealed that her fertility had been significantly impacted. She did not have the chance to freeze her eggs before starting treatment, and now, cancer-free, a specialist has advised her that she needs to undergo egg retrieval immediately if she wants to have children in the future.
NHS funding gap leaves young survivor with hefty costs
The NHS will not cover the cost of egg retrieval because Erin has already undergone cancer treatment. During her two-year treatment, she was unable to work, and now she must pay for the procedure herself. Erin is now campaigning for NHS egg preservation to be more accessible for those who have completed their cancer treatment.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, Erin said: “It's between me having kids or not. It has to happen now. I've always wanted kids, but it's something you think will happen naturally in the future. It's been a massive shock and has put me under huge stress.”
Treatment journey and fertility impact
Erin endured six months of chemotherapy and 18 sessions of radiotherapy before becoming cancer-free. She said fertility was at the back of her mind throughout treatment, but by the time she received her diagnosis, it was too late to preserve her eggs beforehand.
Erin says she will need to go through two egg retrieval cycles to obtain the required number of eggs. She added: “It's frustrating. It's coming with a huge financial burden. To be hit with a cost like this - after being off work - wasn't even on my radar.”
Cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapy, can all affect fertility in different ways. In many cases, the NHS may offer egg freezing and storage free of charge, but the process can take up to three weeks. If cancer treatment must begin immediately, there may not be enough time to complete the procedure.
Government responds to campaign
The Scottish Government has expressed sympathy for Erin's campaign and will soon outline a review of fertility services. Public health minister Maree Todd said: “Guidance on fertility preservation has been developed by clinical experts and makes clear that special consideration by health boards should be done on a case-by-case basis, to cover the whole range of possible conditions and individual circumstances where fertility preservation might be considered.
“I am sympathetic to the calls from this campaign and am keen to hear more from Erin about her experience. The Scottish Government will shortly outline details of a new review of IVF services, which will look at the experiences of accessing IVF services.
“I greatly admire the strength and resilience shown by Erin as she has documented her cancer journey online and I thank her for the sharing her personal experience and the work she is doing to advocate for more support for cancer survivors.”
