MORE would-be parents will receive fertility treatments to conceive children under plans to make the process as "fair and generous as possible".
Parents with a child living at home are currently barred from receiving IVF on the NHS but they will now become eligible if one half of the couple does not have a biological child.
And it has been announced that families undertaking fertility care will now be afforded three rounds of treatment instead of two.
The fertility overhaul was announced by Aileen Campbell, minister for Public Health and Sport, at the Edinburgh Fertility Reproductive Endocrine Centre yesterday.
Glasgow lawyer Graham Queen, 52, and his wife Juliana, 39, were among the Scottish couples who benefitted from IVF treatments two years ago.
As a result, Ms Queen gave birth to daughter Amelia after two cycles of IVF.
Her husband Graham Queen said the changed guidelines means that couples can "just be the same as everybody else who wants to have a family".
He added: "We were married five years ago after being together only a few months so it was a bit of a whirlwind.
"We decided (on IVF) because of our age and had two full cycles.
"I think the three attempts would really help not just because of the ability to have one child but to have two."
"Psychologically, in terms of your hope it would really help and that is important in the early stages."
Youth worker Mark Clugston, 35, and hairdresser wife Lynn, 40, spent more than £20,000 on six private treatments before their first NHS cycle was a success and baby Ellis was born 15 months ago.
"We feel lucky enough to have one, but if someone told me I could have another one I would take it in a second," Mrs Clugston said.
The changing face of fertility will begin in the coming months, with ministers working with health boards to develop a timetable for the introduction of the new eligibility criteria.
The Scottish Government has accepted all the recommendations in a report by the National Infertility Group apart from one calling for women aged between 40 and 42 to be made ineligible for treatment.
Ministers said the current guidelines, where women in this age group can have one cycle of IVF if they meet the necessary criteria, would continue to apply.
Aileen Campbell MSP said the moves were designed to give more people "the opportunity to conceive naturally".
"Over the last four years we have invested around £18 million to reduce IVF waiting times and improve the outcomes for patients undergoing this treatment," she said.
"Scotland already leads the way on IVF access and rights in UK, and these changes will ensure Scotland's provision is a fair and generous as possible."
Professor Adam Balen, chair of the British Fertility Society, said the announcement was "great news for people in Scotland planning a family who have fertility problems".
He added: "There is now a gulf between IVF funding in Scotland and England, and the British Fertility Society is disappointed that there is still a postcode lottery for IVF treatment across England."
Gwenda Burns, of Infertility Network Scotland, said: "In accepting the recommendations of the National Infertility Group and recognising the devastating impact of fertility problems, the Scottish Government has continued to improve fertility services and create a fair and equitable service for fertility patients in Scotland."
Ian Crichton, chair of the National Infertility Group said: "In these times of austerity, it is clearly critical that a strategic decision is made on the future funding level of the service to ensure sustainability prior to any other improvements being introduced."
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