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Katie South: Should Having Stepchildren Affect a Woman’s Eligibility for NHS-Funded IVF?

Katie South/LinkedIn

Nov 11, 2026, 14:53

Katie South: Should Having Stepchildren Affect a Woman’s Eligibility for NHS-Funded IVF?

Katie South, Founder and CEO at Stepmum Space, shared on LinkedIn:

”Injustice really riles me, and this one hits hard.

In many parts of England, a woman can be denied NHS-funded IVF simply because her partner already has children.

Yup. You read that right.

If a woman chooses to build a life with a man who has already had a child with someone else, in many areas this automatically disqualifies her from NHS-funded IVF.

Even if she’s never had a child herself.

The bit that makes this even more bamboozling is that this can apply even when the dad doesn’t actually get to see his children. Even when there’s been a complete breakdown in contact, or the stepmum has no meaningful relationship with the children, despite her best efforts.

We all get that the NHS has limited resources, and that there will always be tough decisions to make about who receives publicly funded treatment. But surely we need to question whether it’s fair for a woman’s access to fertility treatment to depend on her partner’s previous relationship?

She might have a wonderful bond with her stepchildren and play a huge part in raising them.
Or she might have a barely functioning relationship with them, despite her best efforts. That’s the reality for many women.

Whatever her experience of stepmotherhood is, it doesn’t change the fact that she has never had a child of her own. But simply because she’s chosen to share her life with a man who already has children, she might be denied the help she needs to become a mother.

I can’t wrap my head around this and how it is fair… I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this…

Should having stepchildren affect a woman’s eligibility for NHS-funded IVF?”

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