Who qualifies for free IVF in Ireland?

How does free IVF work in Ireland?

• Your GP or a consultant can refer you to a regional fertility hub if you have problems getting pregnant or a health condition that affects fertility; you cannot refer yourself.
• The hub sends an information pack and a questionnaire for each partner, and it may take 3 to 6 months to see a specialist.
• The hub does tests such as AMH bloods, a pelvic ultrasound and a sperm test, and treatment may include medicines, surgery or IVF if you meet the access criteria.
• If the hub consultant recommends IVF, ICSI or IUI and you meet all the access criteria, you choose a clinic from the private fertility clinics the HSE has approved and sign the consent forms.
• Each couple can get 1 round of IVF or ICSI for free; IUI is also free if recommended.
• If your GP will not refer you because you do not meet the criteria, you can ask another GP for a second opinion or go privately.

Who qualifies for free IVF, ICSI or IUI?

These are the HSE criteria, in the HSE's own terms. Check the HSE page before you rely on them, as rules can change.

• Hub referral: a woman must be under 43 with a BMI of 18.5 to 35, and a man must be under 60.
• You must be resident in the Republic of Ireland.
• Age for IVF, ICSI or IUI: under 41 for the woman and under 60 for the man, measured on the date the GP or consultant referred you to the hub.
• The woman must have a BMI between 18.5 and 30.
• You can qualify if neither of you has any living children.
• You can qualify if neither of you has a living child from before this relationship and you have only 1 living child together.
• You can qualify if only one of you has living children from before this relationship and you have only 1 living child together.
• You cannot qualify if each of you has living children from before this relationship, or if you have 2 or more living children together.
• On previous treatment, you can qualify if any one of these applies: you have not had free AHR treatment through the HSE; you had no more than 1 round of IVF before and have no unused embryos in storage; you started tests for IVF but have not started IVF medicine.
• You must never have had a sterilisation procedure to prevent pregnancy.
• You must have been in a relationship with your partner for at least 1 year, and only 2 people can plan to be parents to the child.
• The person planning to be the birth mother must drink no more than 1 or 2 standard drinks up to 2 times a week.
• The person providing sperm must drink no more than 3 to 4 standard drinks and no more than 10 standard drinks a week.
• You must not smoke or have smoked in the last 3 months, and must not have taken recreational drugs for at least 3 months.
• Not currently eligible: single people, same-sex couples, anyone who cannot use their own eggs or sperm and anyone planning a surrogacy arrangement.

What else is good to know?

• The HSE offers free fertility tests and treatment through regional fertility hubs at Cork University Maternity Hospital, the Coombe, the National Maternity Hospital, the Rotunda, Galway University Hospital and Nenagh Hospital.
• To be referred to a hub, a woman must be under 43 with a BMI of 18.5 to 35, and a man must be under 60.
• Care at a hub is free and not means tested, so you will not be asked about your income.
• It may take 3 to 6 months after a referral to see a specialist at a hub.
• First hub visits usually include an AMH blood test, a pelvic ultrasound and a sperm test.
• Each eligible couple can get 1 round of IVF or ICSI for free, and IUI is also free if your consultant recommends it.
• If you are eligible, you choose a clinic from the private fertility clinics the HSE has approved.
• IVF leads to pregnancy in about 1 in 3 fresh cycles for women aged 18 to 34, falling to about 1 in 10 for women aged 40 to 42.
• There are no egg or sperm banks in Ireland, and surrogacy is not available through the HSE.
• For medicines you pay for outside the hubs, the Drugs Payment Scheme caps your costs at €80 a month.
• Your GP or fertility specialist can refer you or your partner for counselling, and NISIG runs support groups.

When should we see our GP?

• If you are 35 or under, see your GP if you have been trying for more than 1 year without getting pregnant.
• If you are 36 or over, see your GP if you have been trying for more than 6 months without getting pregnant.
• If you or your partner have any health conditions, talk to your GP after 6 months of trying.
• See your GP sooner if you have had cancer treatment or have had chlamydia or gonorrhoea.
• See your GP sooner too if you have no periods or your periods do not come every month.
• Endometriosis, PCOS, a previous ectopic pregnancy, past surgery on the testicles, cervix or pelvis and a family history of menopause before 40 are also reasons to see your GP sooner.
• It is worth seeing your GP before you start trying if you are 36 or over, have a long-term condition or take medicines.
• Your GP may ask how long you have been trying and about your periods, health and lifestyle, and may arrange blood tests and STI checks.

While you wait, keep taking folic acid and look after the basics. Our guide to trying for a baby in Ireland has a fertile days calculator and the HSE advice on improving your chances.