AN ANDOVER couple is asking for help to help them navigate the ‘postcode lottery’ of IVF treatment.

Aggie Lewandowska, 38, and Stuart Piercy, 45, of Picket Piece met through online dating about four years ago.

The couple have been living together in Andover for nearly three years, and are due to get married in July.

About six months ago, Aggie and Stuart decided they would like to start a family, but quickly realised it wasn’t going to be easy.

Stuart described the “rollercoaster” emotions, particularly for his fiancee, as doctors struggled to reach a diagnosis.

Aggie, a customer assistant at Santander who is originally from Poland, was previously diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that affects a woman’s hormone levels.

But after getting scans, she was told that she did not in fact have the condition.

“Her hopes went up massively,” said Stuart. “But because of our age, we decided to go to a private gynecologist and we were basically told that between us there was zero chance of conceiving.

“We were devastated. It was quite a knock back.”

The couple were advised that in vitro fertilisation (IVF) would be their best chance of having their own biological child.

Stuart, who works as a security partner at Tesco, explained that NHS guidance suggests that women up to the age of 40 should be offered up to three rounds of IVF treatment, but that in reality it is very much a “postcode lottery”.

“We were declined through the NS because of Aggie’s age,” he said.

“It turns out that each county has its own conditions hand, in Hampshire, it’s actually really bad.You have to be under 35, and even then they will only give you one attempt. It’s a total postcode lottery.”

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Determined not to give up on their dream of having a family, Stuart and Aggie set up a fundraising page, aiming to raise £5,000 to put towards two rounds of IVF.

“I could just about afford one cycle, but it would wipe me out,” said Stuart.

“We get that it’s a bad time. There is focus on other good causes and the price of living is going up. But a pound or two here or there would be a massive help.”

He continued: “If by some miraculous event the first round was successful, we would put the rest of the money towards somebody else’s IVF journey, to get them started.

“And even if, in the worst case scenario, we don’t raise this money, it would be good if, by raising awareness, we could get it changed for other people.”

Nicola Decker, clinical leader for Hampshire, Southampton, and Isle of Wight CCG, said: “Patients across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight who are referred for assisted conception services are assessed for funding in line with clinically-based referral guidelines, which have been agreed across the county, including the criteria that treatment should begin before a woman’s 35th birthday.

“I understand how difficult it is for anyone struggling to start a family, and it is important to note that, in exceptional circumstances, there is provision for a consultant to apply for funding even if their patient does not meet the standard criteria.”

To donate to Aggie and Stuart’s appeal, visit: gofund.me/60c63204.

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