In a new initiative to combat involuntary childlessness, Region North Jutland (Region Nordjylland) has announced that they will offer up to six pregnancy attempts with in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment for singles and couples. This is a doubling of the previously offered three attempts. This change comes after an agreement between the government and Danish Regions (Danske Regioner), which was reached earlier this year. The agreement means that all regions in the country will be able to offer the extra attempts at public fertility clinics from no later than October 1 this year.
The funding for the extra attempts is secured through the budget for 2024, with 45 million Danish kroner allocated over three years for improved fertility treatment. Region North Jutland has received 4.5 million kroner to implement this increase. Lina Hundebøll Jespersen (V), chair of the health committee in Region North Jutland, expresses great satisfaction with the initiative. “I am very happy that we can invest in the future of North Jutland families in this way. We want to help ensure that more people receive the treatments they desire when facing fertility challenges,” she said in a press release.
The treatments will be carried out at Aalborg University Hospital, where there is currently a short waiting time for fertility treatment. Last year, 456 treatments were performed, and with the new funds, it is expected that the number of treatments will increase by an additional 220 per year. The offer of the extra attempts will apply to singles and couples who are in a fertility treatment process from January 1, 2024, or later.
It is worth noting that one in eight children in Denmark today is conceived at a fertility clinic. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the birth of the first Danish IVF baby, and since then, over 100,000 children have been born as a result of fertility treatment in Denmark. Involuntary childlessness is considered one of the most common chronic diseases among individuals aged 25-44 in Denmark.