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Wellness company withdraws £250 'fertility drip' IV treatment after row

A vitamin IV business has been called out for offering a so-called 'fertility drip'. [Photo: Getty]
A vitamin IV business has been called out for offering a so-called 'fertility drip'. [Photo: Getty]

A wellness business has decided to withdraw its so-called ‘fertility drip’ treatment following a backlash.

The intravenous (IV) drip treatment, sold by London-based Get A Drip, came at a steep price tag of £250, and was marketed at aspiring parents.

It involved injecting a concoction of vitamins directly into customers’ veins.

However, it has this morning been withdrawn from sale on the company’s website, following a social media backlash.

Dr Tom Dolphin, a consultant anaesthetist, was the first to call out Get A Drip for its services.

READ MORE: Woman dies from a turmeric injection

Sharing an advertisement for the business’s latest clinic in Westfield shopping Centre in White City, he called the service “dubious”.

Dolphin also shared an image sent to him by a colleague of a similar IV drip business at this year’s Glastonbury festival – and commented on the potential hygiene concerns.

The row escalated as as number of users – including a representative from BPAS, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service – called Get A Drip out for the specific ‘Fertility Drip’ treatment included on its menu.

The only vitamins recommended the NHS for women trying to fall pregnant are vitamin D and folic acid, taken in oral supplement form.

READ MORE: How to boost your chances of falling pregnant naturally

Social media users accused the company of “praying on the vulnerable” with its expensive treatments.

Following the backlash, the ‘fertility drip’ product was removed from the Get A Drip website earlier today.

Katherine O’Brien, associate director of communications and campaigns at BPAS, told Yahoo UK that the organisation “welcomes” the removal of this product.

She said: “We welcome the decision by GetADrip to withdraw their “fertility” product. This is a product lacking any evidence base, pitched at an exploitative price and playing on the fears and anxieties of women who may be struggling to conceive.

“GetADrip has a responsibility to be open and honest with their customers, which clearly has not been the case. We understand regulatory bodies are looking into these kind of products and hope these companies and their offers can be properly monitored going forward.”

Richard Chambers, founder of Get A Drip, has since apologised for the “insensitivity” of the fertility drip product.

“We understand that the issue of fertility is much deeper than nutrition,” he told the BBC.

"We are deeply sorry for the insensitivity of the fertility drip and apologise wholeheartedly for any upset caused," he added.

Get A Drip has not at present responded to Yahoo UK’s request for further comment.