Summary
Some people paid large amounts of money to a company for IVF services, but the company went out of business, leaving these clients without treatment or refunds. This situation has raised concerns about unregulated "concierge clinics" that arrange IVF treatments but are not directly regulated. The fertility authority in the UK is calling for stronger laws to protect patients using these kinds of services.
Key Facts
- Syreeta Sandhu paid £15,000 to a concierge clinic for IVF services, but the clinic closed down without giving her a refund or treatment.
- Concierge clinics act as middlemen, connecting patients with egg donors and doctors but do not provide direct treatment.
- These clinics are not regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), leading to calls for legal changes.
- 52 patients are owed £119,000 in total by the closed company, Apricity.
- Beth Rodgers, another patient, lost money and time when Apricity went out of business and had to restart her IVF treatment elsewhere.
- The HFEA is urging for updates to laws to better oversee the evolving range of fertility services.
- Clients of concierge clinics often do not have direct access to important information, such as medical files or donor details.
- These clinics do not have physical locations or store reproductive materials like eggs or sperm.
