Scotland is proud to be the only UK nation to provide up to three full IVF/ICSI cycles on the NHS for eligible couples with some of the highest pregnancy rates and lowest multiple births across all UK nations.
Eligible couples can access fertility services in NHSScotland in primary care (GP), secondary care (hospital or community setting) or tertiary care (specialised services) depending on the type and complexity of treatment required. Each year about 7,000 patients and partners are referred from primary care to secondary and tertiary care across Scotland with about 4,300 treatments performed in the four NHS tertiary Fertility Centres located in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Tertiary Centres perform a variety of specialised treatments ranging from in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to donor treatment and fertility preservation (for patients requiring preservation for medical purposes, e.g. when undergoing cancer or other treatments that may affect their fertility).
Most types of fertility treatment in the UK are regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the HFEA.
Eligibility criteria for access to NHS fertility services have been agreed by Scottish Government following recommendations by the National Infertility Group in 2016. A detailed description of current criteria (last revised in 2017) is available here.