IVF clinics warned against 'trading on hope' | ITV News

IVF clinics have been warned against "trading on hope" after the fertility watchdog said older women were being exploited.

Sally Cheshire, chairwoman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), told the Telegraph some private clinics were using "selective success rates" to target older women.

New figures published by the newspaper show that the number of women undergoing fertility treatment has doubled since 2004, to 10,835 cases in 2017.

Jessica Hepburn, the founder of Fertility Festival, has become a pioneer in raising awareness of what it means to struggle with fertility.

She said the cost of some of her treatments were £15,000 each, which accounted for the additional treatments.

"You become as a patient sort of partly complicit because you will do anything that you think might improve your chances at success," she added.

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