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Topic of the Week
How to Access the Care You Need
Starting a family is an exciting moment for any couple, but can come with some logistical hurdles if you are LGBTQ+. Undergoing fertility treatments can be a daunting process, and accessing NHS care can be especially difficult for anyone who is LGBTQ+ as there are often extra steps you must complete in order to receive care. What care you are entitled to depends on the policies of your local NHS area (your CCG if you live in England, your LCG in Northern Ireland, or your Health Board if you live in Scotland and Wales).
If you’ve made the decision to start trying to conceive, the first step should usually be to go and speak to your GP about your options. They will be able to advise you on what fertility treatment is available in your local CCG and will have knowledge of any factors that may affect your eligibility. Many factors determine your eligibility for care including:
- Age
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Previous children
- Lifestyle factors
- Previous sterilisation procedures – if you’ve had any procedures to permanently prevent you from having children
If you aren’t trying to conceive by sexual intercourse, a number of areas allow you to access fertility treatments via the NHS straight away, though you may need to meet some or all of the additional criteria above. This treatment usually consists of 1, 2 or 3 rounds of NHS-funded IVF (in vitro fertilisation). You can read more about IVF here.
However, in some areas you may be required to self-fund a fertility treatment called intrauterine insemination (IUI) before you are eligible to receive IVF on the NHS. IUI is a cheaper treatment than IVF but is still likely to cost £700 to £1800 per cycle. LGBTQ+ activists Whitney and Megan Bacon-Evans are currently challenging these policies in an active court case. More details and to sign their petition for Fertility Equality can be found here.
Private treatment
Unfortunately not everyone is able to access fertility treatment on the NHS, so many look to private fertility clinics. When you attend a private fertility clinic, you will have a consultation with a fertility doctor. The doctor will discuss the available treatment options and may request additional investigations. The cost of fertility treatments and donor sperm can vary, so be sure to check what particular treatment type may be most suitable for you and compare prices between clinics. Private IVF in the UK costs around £5,000 per cycle, depending if you require any additional treatments or medications.
Trying at home
If you’d rather not visit a fertility clinic or you aren’t eligible for NHS care you may wish to consider options for conceiving at home. Donation of sperm and eggs is very tightly regulated in the UK and it is not possible to have frozen gametes delivered to your home. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which regulates fertility clinics in the UK, provides guidance to those considering donor conception. If you do decide to go down this route we recommend you make sure you fully understand the implications on legal parenthood and also any health screening that is recommended before trying to conceive.
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