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Chris McKeen/Stuff
A treatment for multiple sclerosis in India offer Lauren Yeaman a future, but it will likely leave her infertile.
Lauren Yeaman hopes to have a baby someday. But time is running out.
At the end of July, the 30-year-old will travel to India to undergo a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) – a treatment for multple sceriosis not funded in Aoteaora.
The treatment involves harvesting stem cells from the bone marrow, followed by chemotherapy – which will likely leave her infertile.
Yeaman wants to freeze her eggs for future IVF, but in March her application for the publicly funded procedure was denied – and she says no one will tell her exactly why.
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In New Zealand, people about to have treatments that will irreversibly harm their fertility, such as chemotherapy, receive public funding to freeze eggs or sperm.
The Northern Region Fertility Service (NRFS) co-ordinates referrals for publicly funded fertility services in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Yeaman said the NRFS told her she is ineligible because she smokes. Meanwhile, fertility specialists Repromed said she was turned down because her treatment was taking place outside New Zealand.
According to Yeaman, a friend with MS received public funding for egg freezing before she travelled to India for the same procedure.
She will complete one last menstrual cycle before she leaves, but despite time being of the essence, she still doesn’t know for sure why she has been declined funded fertility preservation – which would need to happen within days.
There had been no contact from anyone at Waitematā DHB except the receptionist, she said.
”They are refusing to speak with me directly, I have never been contacted not once, by anybody.
“I am being ignored,” she said.
Abigail Dougherty/Stuff
Georgia Eve is a young woman in Manly, Auckland who was considering donating an egg to a fertility place. But to do so she would have had to do a genetic test, which in NZ an insurance company can ask to see.
She has appealed the decision, but was told case reviews are only undertaken every three months.
Repromed medical director Dr Devashana Gupta said the NRFS declined her funding due to the “proposed treatment for her condition”, and not due to her BMI or smoking status.
“We will be able to comment further once the NRFS provides the outcome of her appeal towards the end of June.”
As her condition was expected to progressively worsen, children had seemed like a pipe dream for the Auckland woman. But this treatment could give her the energy she needs to become a parent.
Multiple sclerosis an incurable disease that attacks the central nervous system. For Yeaman its progressive and over time her symptoms will worsen.
The symptoms first arose in her early 20s – when she woke with a tingling sensation throughout her body.
Chris McKeen/Stuff
Yeaman, like most people with MS, is always bracing for the next relapse.
Fatigue has become the most limiting aspect for Yeaman, and while the stem cell treatment won’t cure her, it will stop her MS progressing.
Privately it costs $10,000 to freeze your eggs, money Yeaman doesn’t have – she’s already paying upwards of $50,000 to have the stem-cell treatment.
Yeaman, a vet nurse, never thought she’d be begging for help on Givealitte, but she has run out of options, she said.
She signed a privacy waiver to allow Te Whatu Ora to discuss her case with Stuff. However, when approached for comment, the health board said it would not comment on or disclose information relating to patients.
Dr Debbie Holdsworth, director of funding for Te Toka Tumai Auckland, said if a person chooses to undergo treatment overseas for a procedure not funded in New Zealand, a fertility preservation service is unlikely to be covered by public funding.
“Each person’s journey through fertility preservation is different, but generally those seeking publicly funded preservation are required to fulfil certain criteria.”
Holdsworth acknowledged how difficult it can be for those who do not meet the criteria.
“Our clinicians make efforts to talk to patients about the outcome of their assessment.
“However, if a patient feels they haven’t received that level of care or have any questions, we encourage them to talk to their referring doctor or specialist.”
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