Coronavirus: Belfast Trust postpones fertility treatment

A number of women have had their treatment postponed at Belfast's Regional Fertility Clinic due to the coronavirus.

They were contacted by phone as part of the Belfast Health Trust's plan to scale back on operations and procedures.

Treatment for 33 patients has been postponed.

Patients arriving for appointments on Thursday were told to discontinue stimulating injections.

In a statement the Trust said: "The trust is currently planning for COVID19 and as time progresses, it is envisaged that COVID19 has the potential to impact upon service delivery in the future, at the same time a number of our IVF patients have reported to us that they are anxious about beginning treatment at this time due to COVID19.

"Taking all this into consideration, the senior clinical team determined under current extant guidance, it would be best to postpone some treatment pathways as these can take 4-6 weeks to complete."

The trust said patients who had their treatment postponed will be contacted and offered alternative plans.