United Kingdom: IVF not reimbursed for vapers

“The Mail on Sunday” has just conducted a survey in British health institutions. It shows that certain hospitals are refusing to finance IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) for people who use electronic cigarettes. 117 establishments were surveyed and 101 of them insisted they do not apply any restriction to vapers. On the other hand, 16 of those institutions acknowledge that they are opposed to reimbursing IVF for e-cig users.

Some of the respondents also state that they may be opposed to refunding IVF for vapers in the future. Others consider this an aberration, saying that it is a simple operation that reduces the cost of support services.

Aileen Feeney, who belongs to the charity “Fertility Network,” deplores the fact that certain hospitals refuse to reimburse e-cig users. She says this is a way for the directors of the NHS to restrict managing cases of infertility by introducing arbitrary criteria for IVF approval.

 

There is no evidence that vaping has harmful effects on reproductive health

Remember that in 2015, an American report confirmed that there is no data on the harmful impact of electronic cigarettes on reproductive health. Similarly, no study has shown a risk to foetuses whose mothers use e-cigarettes.

According to Professor Peter Hajek of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London, the fact that vapers will not be reimbursed for IVF could have disastrous effects. It risks persuading women that there is no interest in replacing tobacco with e-cigarettes. Yet vaping helps people quit smoking, which is why e-cigarettes are so popular in the UK. It is also an openly recommended tool for weaning off of tobacco.