Layla Stephen, 33, and her husband, Andrew, 34, are among the thousands of couples who have been denied IVF because they live in the wrong postcode.

Her situation was especially poignant because although she lives in Portsmouth, she works in Chichester. Had she lived there, she would have qualified for free care.

The Portsmouth PCT’s funding policy, however, does not cover IVF for women who are under 36. Mrs Stephen’s younger age actually gave her a better prognosis, and meant that she had a lower risk of complications, but the couple were ruled ineligible.

The Stephens had been trying to conceive naturally for four years before they were referred to a specialist. The NHS offered them three cycles of intrauterine insemination – but there was a three-month waiting list.They decided to go private, and spent a total of £12,000 before a cycle of intracytoplasmic sperm injection was finally successful. Their son, Hadley Ray, was born a week and a half ago.

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