The number of infertile couples in the county receiving IVF has more than tripled since a policy change allowed younger women to have treatment.

Health chiefs said the sharp rise was down to a backlog of young couples waiting for treatment last year.

NHS Oxfordshire, the county’s primary care trust, lowered the age bracket for IVF treatment to 30-35 on December 1. It was originally 35-39.

Between then and the end of March, 130 couples were approved for the IVF treatment, which costs an average of £3,000 per cycle. During the same period last year, just 36 couples were given the go ahead for funding.

Enda McVeigh, director of the Oxford Fertility Unit, where the procedures are carried out, said: “A lot of people who were waiting for approval would have known the rules were changing in December, so what we are seeing now is people coming through in January, February, and March who were part of a backlog.

“We would expect these high figures to tail off in the coming months.”

Mr McVeigh said lowering the age bracket increased couples’ chances of conceiving to 50 per cent, compared to 23.6 per cent for women over 35.

Despite guidance issued in 2004 by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, stating treatment should be given free to couples in which the woman is aged between 23 and 39, NHS Oxfordshire only used to pay for IVF for couples aged 35 to 39.

In December, the South Central Strategic Health Authority board, which includes Oxfordshire PCT, lowered the age bracket to 30 to 35.

Last year Richard Mackenzie, 30, and his partner Jackie, 27, launched a campaign to get the PCT to end what they described as discrimination over fertility funding.

The couple were turned down repeatedly for IVF funding because they were deemed too young. They are now expecting their first baby in July after having the treatment privately.

Mr Mackenzie said the fight was far from over.

He said: “By lowering the age bracket and not widening it, this still amounts to age discrimination. Oxfordshire couples are still getting a raw deal and we are still campaigning for the full Nice guidance to be recognised.”

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