What changed
Mollie Mulheron, 28, is seeking NHS-funded fertility preservation after urgent chemotherapy for stage four blood cancer meant she could not freeze her eggs beforehand.
She is now cancer-free, but NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board says she does not meet its assisted-conception eligibility criteria. Mulheron says her ovarian reserve has more than halved in a year and that she may face early menopause.
Why it matters
The timing of cancer treatment left Mulheron with a gap between medical need and funding rules. She said doctors in Leeds told her fertility protection might be available after chemotherapy, but after moving to Padiham she was told local funding would not cover it.
That turns recovery into another kind of uncertainty. Mulheron does not want to be pushed into starting a family immediately after surviving cancer, yet fears losing the choice altogether. “I’d like to have some time after having cancer just to rebuild my life,” she said.
NICE guidance says fertility preservation should be discussed when a condition or treatment may affect fertility. But the guidance is not mandatory, and local NHS bodies can apply eligibility policies differently. The plain reading of Mulheron’s case is uncomfortable: discussing a future option is not the same as being able to access it.
The ICB says its decision follows current eligibility criteria and that it is reviewing clinical commissioning policies with neighbouring NHS bodies. It has not been established whether that review will change Mulheron’s case, or whether preservation treatment would be clinically suitable or successful for her.
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