County gets new fertility centre

About 350 couples will benefit from the service each year

A new fertility centre for NHS and private patients is to open in Gloucestershire.

The new Cotswold Fertility Unit (CFU) at Lansdown Lodge in Cheltenham will be run by staff from the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Previously couples needing help to conceive had to travel to either Bristol or Oxford for treatment.

They will still have to travel out of the county for procedures such as egg collection and embryo transfer.

Mrs Kalpana Reddy, Consultant Gynaecologist at Cheltenham General Hospital, will run the service.

Regular clinics

"This is great news for all the couples I see each week who face several long journeys to Bristol or Oxford for on-going care and treatment," she said.

"Our centre will provide the confidential, professional and welcoming service that I know is important to couples who are trying to conceive."

All couples considered eligible for treatment in Gloucestershire are currently offered one free cycle of IVF paid for by the NHS.

The CFU has two consultation rooms and a waiting area and will initially be holding clinics for three mornings per week.

It is anticipated that about 350 couples will benefit from the service each year.