I’ve written previously about how IVF on the NHS in Essex is fast becoming a thing of the past.

Until 2014, all the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in the East of England offered the same level of provision to all eligible patients, which was in line with the NICE recommendation of three full cycles of treatment.

Then things started to change all over the country… especially here in Essex.

By the end of last year lots of CCGs had ditched IVF completely – in a bid to save the NHS cash. Mid Essex now offers no IVF whatsoever, neither does North East Essex. Or Basildon and Brentwood. Castle Point still offers two cycles. And most recently, Southend (after an extensive consultation process) now offers just the one cycle – and only if you’re under 40.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that it is thanks to IVF on the NHS that I have my little boy.

But as NHS fertility treatments become increasingly difficult to be eligible for, where exactly can parents-in-waiting turn?

Bourn Hall, currently based in Colchester, Cambridge, King’s Lynn, Norwich and Peterborough (with a new state of the art site set to open very soon in Wickford) was the world’s first IVF clinic. As such, staff and doctors have more than a little experience in helping create families.

And as the NHS has stepped back from fertility provision, they are stepping up with more and more options.

If you’re anything like me, you don’t have thousands and thousands of pounds just lying around to spend on fertility treatment. The thought of spending lots of money on procedures that might not even work adds another huge strain to relationships already having to deal with infertility. And when you are struggling to have a baby it can make you feel powerless. Useless. Like you’re faulty in some basic way.

Which is why options such as monthly payment plans, refund programmes and multi-cycle packages are so important.

Bourn Hall holds open house events and open evenings where you can find out more about their facilities and treatments, and speak to some of the experts. They are free to attend and no one is under any obligation to receive treatment from Bourn Hall.

So if you are facing up to fertility issues and fear NHS cuts may cost you your chance of having a family, it’s worth checking out the options available at Bourn Hall. A family of your own may be closer than you think.

Click here to access Bourn Hall’s contact details.