A mum who fell pregnant during her first round of IVF has spoken out against the "postcode lottery" system.
Laura Shaw, 37, from Bootle was trying to have a baby for two years the traditional way before she turned to her doctor for help. At the beginning of June the restaurant manager and her partner John Lawler went to the GP to find out why she couldn't fall pregnant.
Laura's GP booked in tests the same day and found there was no immediate reason for not being able to conceive and so she started her IVF journey. Following two weeks of injections she found out she was pregnant on July 17.
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Laura told the ECHO: "I do feel lucky. It was my first round, I know it can take other people much more. I had 13 eggs they could harvest and that is quite a lot. Some aren't as lucky as me.
"I am absolutely made up but I did struggle with the injections. They take a toll on your body. You have to inject you tummy twice a day. You get bloated, constipated and you end up so hormonal.
"I started to cry and the silliest of things. I couldn't find my Whisper chocolate bar in the fridge one day so I just burst into tears. So it can be hard.
"You have just got to remember, it is all worth it in the end. After all this you get a beautiful baby in the end."
Laura's success story is part due to Liverpool being in the Northwest. Across the country different regions offer people different levels of IVF treatment. Luckily for Laura the Northwest offers one of the highest percentage of funded treatment in England for IVF.
In the Northwest 53% of IVF cycles are funded by the NHS where as areas such as East of England only 20% are funded, according to HFEA. This could mean families in the Northwest are given three cycle of IVF which are NHS-funded but those in the East may only get one cycle.
Laura said: "I just don't think the postcode system is very fair. Everyone should be given the same treatment and starting block. It is not very fair that just because I live here I get three chances to have a baby where as some people south of me only get one.
"People remortgage their houses and everything to pay for it but people shouldn't have to do that. They should be helped by the NHS. It should all be equal, either everyone gets three or everyone gets one round. Or just meet in the middle and offer everyone two rounds."
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