A HEREFORD couple unable to conceive naturally plan to travel to Greece to undergo cheaper fertility treatment in a bid to start a family.

Kirsty and Kyle Morgan say the clinic in Athens is their best chance of becoming a mum and dad after their only round of IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) treatment on the NHS was unsuccessful.

Further IVF attempts in this country will cost them about £7,000 each, while the Greek option will be half that price.

They are now trying to raise the money to have the attempts in Athens this September.

“The success rate there is very good,” said Mrs Morgan, who is 26 and lives with her 31-year-old husband, off Holme Lacy Road, South Wye.

“£7,000 is such a lot of money. It’s not pocket change.

“In Greece we could have two attempts for that price.”

The couple have been trying for a baby for five years. Mrs Morgan said the news they couldn’t conceive naturally was hard to take.

“It was devastating when we found out,” she said.

“It felt like we were mourning for a child we had never had.

“It’s horrible to see people getting pregnant but not wanting a child, whereas we just want to start a family. It’s everything to us.”

Another issue for the couple was the local policy which allows Herefordshire residents only one IVF cycle on the NHS, despite some neighbouring counties allowing more.

“Just half an hour down the road in Cinderford it is three, just as it is in Wales,” she said. “It’s a postcode lottery.”

Their IVF treatment is intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) which is more expensive than conventional IVF methods.

Mrs Morgan said the Greek clinic would transfer two embryos. In the UK, doctors are limited to just one. The couple will spend about a fortnight in the southern European country.

They have already raised about £2,300 in just two months to fund the treatment, with many upcoming fundraising activities planned.

Should they be successful with the first course of treatment, Mr and Mrs Morgan say they will give the remaining £3,500 to another couple from Hereford who are struggling to conceive.

They also hope to start a charity helping would-be parents going through the same issues they have faced.

David Farnsworth, executive nurse at Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, the organisation responsible for purchasing local healthcare services, said: “We absolutely empathise with anyone struggling to conceive.

“Because we operate within a finite budget, we must prioritise demands on resources and secure for patients across Herefordshire, healthcare with the greatest proven benefits, in a fair and equitable way that considers the needs of the whole population and the evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness.”

Mr and Mrs Morgan’s fundraising page can be found at gofundme.com/kan0z8