WE KNEW it already, but trying to become a parent could be a little more testing in Oxfordshire.

It has been almost two years since the Oxford Mail broke the news about the postcode lottery over IVF treatment.

The Government yesterday merely hammered home the point on its All Parliamentary Report on infertility.

At the moment, in Oxfordshire, you are entitled to one round of £3,000-a-cycle IVF treatment if you are aged 30 to 35 years old.

An improvement on previous, yes. But still not enough for many couples.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has said three free cycles should be given to couples in which the woman is aged 23 to 39.

We are not alone. Other primary care trusts are equally tight.

In fact, we are in a slightly better position than elsewhere in the UK.

But the plain facts are 70 per cent of NHS trusts and care providers ignore the official guidance, including Oxfordshire.

It is desperate for some couples who really want children. Their hopes are reduced to a one-off chance.

And, without the money for private treatment, that’s it.

Money is tight. But is the primary care trust able to do more?