COUPLES struggling to conceive should receive three cycles of fertility treatment on the NHS, experts have said.

In Scotland patients are guaranteed two rounds of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), where a woman's eggs are fertilised with sperm in a laboratory.

However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which sets standards for the health service in England and Wales and which carries influence in Scotland, has released a report that recommends three cycles for women under the age of 40. It calls on NHS funding bodies in England which are not following official recommendations for IVF treatment to rethink their approach.

Dr Mark Hamilton, a consultant gynaecologist for NHS Grampian and the former chair of the British Fertility Society which represents staff in the field, said access to IVF had become more consistent in Scotland.

Waiting times and the number of treatments offered varied significantly around the country two years ago with some patients waiting up to three years for the procedure, he said.

Last year the Scottish Government agreed to improve and standardise the procedure, granting patients under the age of 40 entitlement to two rounds of IVF.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said they had invested £12 million in the past three years to reduce waiting times for IVF to one year, and that a review of fertility treatments will take place next year.