Erin Lavery, a 23-year-old from Cambuslang, is confronting a pressing challenge after surviving Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Diagnosed at just 21, Erin completed her cancer treatment a year ago. However, recent tests revealed her fertility has been severely impacted by the therapy she underwent.
Before her treatment began, Erin was unfortunately unable to preserve her eggs. Now, cancer-free, she has been advised by specialists that she must act promptly to preserve her ability to have children in the future. The cost of egg retrieval, estimated at around £8,000, must be borne by Erin herself, as NHS guidelines do not cover fertility preservation following cancer treatment.
The financial burden comes on top of the two years Erin was unable to work as a nail technician during her treatment, which involved six months of chemotherapy and 18 rigorous radiotherapy sessions. Erin shared her distress with BBC Radio Scotland, stating, “It’s between me having kids or not. It has to happen now. I’ve always wanted kids, but it’s something you think will happen naturally in the future. It’s been a massive shock and has put me under huge stress.”
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Erin will require two egg retrieval cycles to collect a sufficient number of eggs. She expressed frustration at the unexpected costs following her absence from work, emphasising how the financial strain was not something she had anticipated.
Fertility can be significantly affected by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. While the NHS typically provides egg freezing and storage free of charge, this process can take up to three weeks-time not always available before urgent cancer treatment begins.
In some cases, women may still preserve fertility after completing treatment. The Scottish Government has expressed sympathy for Erin’s campaign to make post-treatment egg preservation more accessible and has announced plans to review fertility services.
Public health minister Maree Todd commented, “Guidance on fertility preservation has been developed by clinical experts and makes clear that special consideration by health boards should be done on a case-by-case basis, covering a full range of conditions and individual circumstances where fertility preservation might be appropriate.”
She added, “I am sympathetic to the calls from this campaign and keen to hear more from Erin about her experience. The Scottish Government will shortly outline details of a new review of IVF services, which will examine access experiences. I greatly admire the strength and resilience shown by Erin as she has documented her cancer journey online and thank her for sharing her personal experience and advocating for increased support for cancer survivors.”