HFEA have published their new report Family Formations In Fertility Treatment
BY NANCY KELLEY, IMAGE BY POCSTOCK
Today, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published new data showing that the number of LBQ+ women having children through IVF or donor insemination (DI) is continuing to rise. The new report Family Formations In Fertility Treatment shows that one in six IVF and DI treatments are accessed by LBQ+ couples or single women. Between 2020 and 2022 the number of LBQ+ women having IVF or DI doubled, and our community now makes up 4% of all treatments provided by the NHS and private healthcare systems.
Not only is it clear that LBQ+ women are increasingly accessing these forms of healthcare, but the HFEA report also shows that this care is affordable and effective. In fact, LBQ+ women have the highest success rates of all patient groups in treatment, with more than 40% of IVF treatments resulting in a live birth. Given the current government’s concern about a plummeting UK birth rate, providing equal access to reproductive healthcare for LGBTQIA people should be a no-brainer.
Yet despite this, LBQ+ women, and the wider LGBTQIA community still experience profound systemic discrimination when we seek reproductive healthcare. More than two years after the previous government committed to equalising access to IVF in the Women’s Health Strategy, not one Independent Commissioning Board (ICB) in England and Wales has changed its funding policy, and as a consequence, most LBQ+ women in England and Wales are forced to self-fund. Family Formations In Fertility Treatment shows us exactly how big this funding gulf is: just 16% of LBQ+ couples get NHS funding for their first IVF treatment, compared to more than half (52%) of straight cis couples.
Commenting on this disparity, Julia Chain, Chair of the HFEA said: “While the HFEA does not regulate funding, we encourage those who commission fertility services to review their eligibility criteria and consider whether these have an adverse impact on access to treatment.”
Responding to the report, Sarah Norcross, Director of the Progress Educational Trust and member of the Fertility Justice Campaign said: “The increase from 1,300 to 3,300 for female same-sex couples having either donor insemination or IVF at a clinic is welcome news. However, the lack of access to NHS-funded treatment is a scandal. This lack of funding makes no logical sense when you consider the data shows that same-sex female couples have higher success rates. The Fertility Justice Campaign is calling for fair and equitable access to NHS-funded fertility services for all and implores Integrated Care Boards to update their policies.”
Laura-Rose Thorogood, CEO of LGBT Mummies and member of the Fertility Justice Campaign added: “Funded fertility provision access for the LGBTQIA community would boost the UK’s declining birth rate and support the economic growth that we need as an ageing nation.”
DIVA is a founding member of the Fertility Justice Campaign, fighting for fair and equal treatment for all LGBTQIA people as we build our families.
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