Who made this, and why

We went through IVF in the UK. Between us we have had the good appointments and the bad ones, the funding refusal, the invoice that was £2,000 more than we planned for, and the conversation where someone offered us an extra we later found had almost no evidence behind it.

What we didn’t have was anywhere independent to check what any of it meant. Clinic websites are, understandably, selling something. Forums are full of anecdote. Search results are full of advertising. And the language is impenetrable at exactly the moment you are least able to concentrate.

So we wrote down what we wish someone had told us at the start.

What IVF Companion is

• Free. All of it, permanently. There is nothing to buy and nothing gated.
• Independent. We are not owned by, funded by, partnered with, or paid by any fertility clinic, pharmacy, or supplier. There are no affiliate links and no advertising.
• Written by people who have been through it, using published information from sources including the HFEA, NICE and the NHS.
• Information and orientation only. We explain what things mean and help you ask better questions.

What IVF Companion is not

• We do not rank or recommend clinics. Not now, not later. Recommending clinics is where independence goes to die, and the HFEA already publishes verified figures for every licensed UK clinic.
• We do not give medical advice. We can’t tell you what treatment to have, what your chances are, whether an add-on is right for you, or what to take and when. Those are conversations for your clinic and your GP, and we would be doing you harm by pretending otherwise.
• We are not a chatbot or a symptom checker. We don’t want your medical details and we deliberately have no way to receive them.
• We do not sell anything, take commission, or list clinics, treatments or products for money.

How we handle the facts

Every cost figure here is a general UK reference range, not a quote. Every statement about evidence is a general position drawn from published sources, most often the HFEA’s public ratings of treatment add-ons. Both change over time. Check them against the HFEA and against your own clinic’s written information before you act on anything.

If you spot something out of date or wrong, we would genuinely rather know. Getting this right matters more to us than looking authoritative.

Your privacy

There are no accounts and no logins, and nothing you type into any tool here is saved or sent anywhere. This is deliberate: it keeps sensitive reproductive health data out of our hands entirely. The full privacy note, in plain English.

If you need a person

Please don’t rely on a website for anything urgent or anything heavy. Where to get real support lists the numbers that matter, including NHS 111 and the Samaritans.