Months of campaigning by a mum-to-be from Clynderwen have paid off after the health minister announced that two cycles of IVF will now be available on the NHS.

Kara Ellard and her husband Luke spent 12 years and more than £10,000 trying to conceive, with only one attempt or cycle through the NHS.

For a number of months Kara and friend Julia Eynon have been lobbying the Welsh Assembly to provide three cycles of IVF, as recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and already offered in England.

At a special event organised by AM Angela Burns at the Senedd last week, health minister Edwina Hart announced that women in Wales will now have access to two cycles of IVF on the NHS.

Kara said: “I am very, very pleased about the increase in cycles. It is going to change so many people’s lives. It is fantastic news.

“We didn’t expect it to happen so soon, we were all very surprised and shocked. The amount of people this is going to help is amazing.

“We still need to work towards the full three cycles but this is a step. We want the full implementation but we are very pleased with this step.”

Mrs Hart said: “I have had lots of representations on this issue and I am pleased that I am in a position to go some way towards increasing the opportunities for women to try to have children within the available resources.”

Kara said that the support given by Mrs Burns has been fantastic and she praised the hard work of all those who got involved with the petition, collecting thousands of signatures between them.

She added that the news meant that fellow campaigner Julia would have a second chance at IVF, along with hundreds of women across Wales.

Mrs Burns said: “This is a great victory for people power and I can’t praise Kara enough for her hard work and determination in securing a fairer deal for women in Wales.

“When the Conservatives held a debate on this issue in July, the health minister ruled out changing the system so I am delighted that public pressure has made her change her mind.”

Despite the change in policy, Kara, Julia and Mrs Burns are determined to continue fighting for three cycles of IVF on the NHS.