Clinical commissioning groups (CCG) have denied claims they are ignoring national IVF treatment guidelines.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said last week that all CCGs should provide three cycles of IVF treatment for women aged under 40, who have failed to get pregnant after two years of trying.

In one IVF cycle, which costs the NHS around £3,000, one or more of a woman’s eggs are removed from her ovaries, fertilised and then transferred back into the woman’s body.

Research by campaign group Fertility Fairness claimed seven CCGs, including Redbridge and Waltham Forest, currently only offer one cycle.

Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive of NICE, criticised the CCGs and said they were causing inequalities in healthcare across the country.

Susan Seenan, co-chair of Fertility Fairness, also said people were suffering as a result of the treatment shortfall.

But Redbridge and Waltham Forest CCGs both rejected these claims, saying they are offering three cycles.

A spokesman for Redbridge CCG said: “Our aim through this policy is to offer the opportunity to have a baby to as many Redbridge individuals and couples as possible.

“Our policy was developed following consultation with local GPs and lead clinicians from fertility units in local hospitals and supports patients to have a maximum of three opportunities to become pregnant using either fresh or frozen embryos.”

A Waltham Forest CCG spokesman also said: “People in Waltham Forest who qualify for IVF are offered three opportunities to become pregnant using either fresh or frozen embryos.

“This policy was drawn up in consultation with local GPs and fertility experts from local hospitals.”