YORK is to get its first IVF clinic.

The clinic is set to open at the end of the month to provide treatment for women from the area who are struggling to have a family.

It will be based at the Yorkshire Sports Medicine (YSM) premises at David Lloyd gym on the eastern side of the city, as a satellite clinic of the Hull and East Riding Fertility Clinic at Hesslewood, near Hull.

A spokesperson said it will be offering initial appointments, insemination procedures, the use of donor eggs and donor sperm, as well as the more advanced reproductive technologies such as testing for genetic abnormalities on embryos before the final stages of IVF treatment.

“If embryos are tested before they are used, then it saves potential heartbreak further into a pregnancy, as abnormal embryos are likely to end in miscarriage,” they said.

They said the clinic will be open for both private and NHS patients and will mean quicker referral times for women to get appointments and be seen by a doctor than are currently offered on the NHS.

Dr Mark Sedler, Medical Director at the Hull and East Riding Fertility Clinic, said the clinic will open in York on April 25.

“It is a satellite clinic linked to our main clinic in Hull, but it will mean that patients from the York area will have their own clinic on their doorstep where they can have their initial appointments and tests carried out by highly experienced fertility practitioners,” he said.

“We will be seeing patients either through the NHS or privately - and they will have all their initial consultations there before having the final stages of their treatment at the Hull facility, which makes the fertility process as efficient as possible.

“We have no waiting times, which is crucial for anyone in their IVF journey. Some people who need help have been trying for years, and time is not on their side. We want to make their fertility journey easier for them and minimise the stress.”

He said tests which would be conducted at the clinic were very important in fertility treatment. “It’s such an emotional time for women, that if we can prevent genetically abnormal embryos being used and put back into the womb, then it reduces the risk of miscarriage, and increases the chance of a successful healthy live birth,” he said.

“We will be putting together bespoke treatment plans for each individual patient - and we will aim to have diagnosis, investigations completed, and the management plan to be in place within four weeks of their initial appointment, so they will have all the support they need.

“We want to help more women in York to be able to have the families that they are fighting so hard for. And to be there for them every step of the way.”

Jo Marwood and her husband Neil, of Snaith, near Selby , have told of their joy after having a baby through IVF at the Hull clinic after they were both diagnosed with infertility conditions.

Jo said they were devastated as they thought it would be impossible for them ever to be parents but she managed to get pregnant and baby Florence was born in April 2020, weighing a healthy 7Ib2.

“We were all thrilled when Florence arrived,” she said. “She made our family complete.”