EVER since their wedding in 2010, Euan and Erin Green have been desperately trying for a baby to fulfil their "childhood dream" of having a family.
Yet four years later, the Witham couple have still not been able to conceive naturally, despite months of hormone drugs, blood samples, and invasive tests, to determine if there is a problem.
Now, they are left facing the "horrific" prospect that their first attempt at IVF, which they are part way through, could be their "only shot", following the announcement by the Mid-Essex Clinical Commissioning Group last week that it would no longer fund IVF for couples unless there are "exceptional circumstances".
It means mid Essex is one of just two of 211 CCGs in the country taking such a stance, while people living in neighbouring areas are still entitled to up to three IVF attempts.
"You live in hope that if the first try doesn't work you've got the second or maybe third attempt, to pin your hopes on," said Erin. "That's a lot of couples with dreams that, in my eyes, have just been shattered – and that's not fair."
The couple are one of up to 100 each year that access specialist fertility services under the Mid-Essex CCG, which oversees the Chelmsford, Maldon, and Braintree districts at a cost of around £750,000.
On Thursday last week, the organisation approved a revision to its former policy, which had funded three attempts at IVF.
From now on, they will only fund specialist fertility services in "exceptional clinical cases".
It is thought this could include patients undergoing treatment for cancer which is likely to affect their fertility, and those with HIV, but will ultimately be decided on a case-by-case basis.
After the announcement, Dr Caroline Dollery, chairman of Mid Essex CCG, said: "It has been an incredibly tough decision for the CCG Board to make as we are aware it will be a huge disappointment for people affected by fertility issues in mid Essex.
"The CCG has considered every aspect of its decision and in particular the profound concerns that some people have expressed about revising this policy.
"But at this moment in time the CCG needs to make £8 million in savings and further savings next year. We have to consider the complete picture for the local NHS – demands for services are costing more than the money that we have available.
"The aspiration to meet National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) criteria and to commission IVF services for people in mid Essex still remains and we have made a commitment to review the decision again in September 2015."
However for Euan, 40, and Erin, 34, the decision has simply left them "in limbo", and placed added pressure on this, their first IVF attempt at a Colchester clinic, after four years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive naturally.
"We always knew it was a possibility that we would have to go down the route of IVF but it was the last option. You take your vitamins, and your folic acid, but nothing," added a tearful Erin, who is due to have her eggs collected ahead of implantation on Tuesday, October 14.
"As a woman you think that's what you're programmed to do, and so you start to question what can I have done?"
Husband Euan, who was left unable to sleep after learning of the changes, added: "I wanted to do everything properly, we didn't live together until we were married, and now I feel guilty because if we had done it a couple of years earlier we might have benefited fully from the IVF programme."
The change, which comes into force immediately, is one of several short-term measures to be introduced to make savings at the CCG of £8m in this financial year, after an overspend of more than £9m in 2013/14.
However charities and campaign groups have condemned what they see as an exploitation of the private nature of fertility treatment, to cut costs.
Sarah Norcross, co-chairman of Fertility Fairness, said: "The cost of fertility treatment is a tiny fraction of this CCG's total annual budget but it is viewed as a line in the budget that is easy to cut as people with fertility problems don't like to complain publicly because of the very personal nature of the problem. We urge the CCG to reinstate services at the first opportunity."
The move will also contradict recommendations from NICE, that three full cycles of IVF should be provided, and make it one of only two CCGs, out of 211 in the country, taking such a stance, the other being the Vale of York.
Susan Seenan, chief executive of patient charity Infertility Network, added: "What the CCG has done is totally appalling. There is clear guidance from NICE based on both cost and clinical effectiveness – by ignoring that guidance mid Essex CCG is letting down its patients."
The decision, which followed 12 weeks of public consultation by the CCG, has even drawn criticism from private fertility clinics providing IVF, who have lobbied to prevent the removal of NHS-funded treatment.
Andy Glew, director of Simply Fertility clinic in Great Baddow, said he was "horrified" at the news.
"This total disregard for those struggling to conceive belittles those suffering from infertility and of course belittles the disease itself," he said.
"The young population of Chelmsford, Braintree and the surrounding areas will be forced into spending thousands of pounds seeking private fertility treatment, while their neighbours in surrounding towns will still benefit from their right to fertility services, free at the point of access."
