Couple refused NHS IVF treatment turn to £10k loan – but will now have to pay back £24k
Pregnany Carolyn, 48, says she has no regrets over taking out the whopping loan
PREGNANT Carolyn Lipczynski is due to have her first baby next month thanks to a huge loan — after 23 years of trying.
Carolyn, 48, and her hubby Michal, 34, borrowed £10,000 to fund IVF treatment.
With an APR of 49.9 per cent they will have to pay back £23,715 over the next five years.
NHS administrator Carolyn turned to the lending company Amigo to fund a sixth and final round of IVF.
To her delight she fell pregnant and is due to give birth to a daughter, called Kayleigh, next month.
Carolyn, of Bromley, South East, London, said: “I’ve got no regrets at all. If it wasn’t for the loan I wouldn’t be pregnant right now.”
She suffered two ectopic pregnancies when younger, leaving her unable to conceive naturally.
Not able to get NHS treatment due to a postcode lottery and because she was aged over 35, Carolyn spent more than £20,000 on five rounds of failed IVF with a previous partner.
After marrying Michal in 2009 the couple decided to adopt but were refused as they didn’t have enough savings.
Trying to raise the cash for another round of IVF, they only managed to put aside £500.
Carolyn said: “We don’t earn lots and every month something would happen like my car breaking down and our savings would go.
“When you get to my age it’s not about years, it’s about months. We were running out of time.” They used the money to pay for a private consultation in London’s Harley Street then took out the loan, guaranteed by Carolyn’s dad.
She said: “I never gave up hope. Taking out a loan was the last resort but we knew we would be able to manage. I can’t believe I am finally becoming a mummy. I just want to hold her.”
Michal, an NHS technician added: “The interest rate on the loan is not as bad as many out there — and for what it’s given us, we don’t mind paying.”
Health watchdog NICE recommends all women in England under 40 should be offered three cycles of IVF on the NHS if they fail to get pregnant naturally.
But last year nine out of ten clinical commissioning groups did not. Some also barred women over 35 or overweight and those who partners already had kids.
Professor Adam Balen, of the British Fertility Society, said: “It is disappointing that there is still a postcode lottery for IVF treatment.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.