Mollie Mulheron Calls for Change to NHS Fertility Funding Rules

Fertility preservation coverage for cancer survivors operates as a postcode lottery, according to patient accounts.

Mollie Mulheron faced a denial of NHS funding for post-chemotherapy egg freezing after beating stage four disease. The 28-year-old blood cancer survivor is from Lancashire.

Because her illness was too aggressive for treatment delays, she could not undergo oocyte (egg cell) or embryo cryopreservation prior to starting chemotherapy, according to Feedzop reporting. She experienced a challenging recovery, undergoing extensive chemotherapy over 150 days to beat the cancer.

Main treatments that can affect fertility include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapy. Although the NHS can frequently supply free egg storage and freezing, the process generally requires as long as three weeks.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines advise offering fertility preservation to patients facing treatments that cause infertility. The non-mandatory nature of the guidance results in uneven application by local NHS bodies.

Mulheron noted that doctors at St James’s Hospital in Leeds told her she could access fertility preservation after chemotherapy. After moving to Padiham, she was told funding was not available.

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board subsequently denied her eligibility for post-chemotherapy egg freezing, leaving her feeling uncertain and frustrated about her future options for having children.

Authored by lead investigator Andrea Betts, PhD—an assistant professor within the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Dallas—the findings were released in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship.

Co-authors on the research include Blaes, MD, of the University of Minnesota; Katie A. Devine, PhD, of Rutgers Cancer Institute; Erin E. Hahn, PhD, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California; Kimberly A. Miller, PhD, of the University of Southern California; and Helen M. Parsons, PhD, of the University of Minnesota.

Insurance movements and geographic shifts are among the variables contributing to gaps in follow-up care experienced by young adult cancer survivors, according to the evaluation.

Betts’ research utilized the National Cancer Institute’s National Standards for Cancer Survivorship Care as the measuring stick for assessing ongoing care. Proper survivorship care incorporates psychological and emotional support evaluations to address cancer impacts, alongside specialized services to handle late effects that might evolve into chronic conditions.

Other key points of care include providing physical therapy, sexual health, and fertility services.

Mulheron has launched an online petition to campaign for better fertility safeguards for young cancer survivors and bridge an NHS funding shortfall.