Woman born without a WOMB is refused NHS funding for IVF 'because she would need a surrogate to carry her baby'

Nicola Rickards, 30, of Gloucester, was born without a womb due to Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser syndrome (MRKH). But she and her partner Matthew Cornock, 33, (pictured left and right) are desperate to start a family. Her consultant said her condition made the couple  'ideal candidates' for funding for IVF. 

But, because the couple would need a surrogate to help them realise their dream of parenthood, they have been denied funding for the fertility treatment by their local CCG. Miss Rickards, of Gloucester, says she is heartbroken that her lack of womb doesn't make her an exceptional case. She said: 'I didn't choose this, I was born with it. It feels as if I'm being punished for something I can't help.'