In the run-up to The Familymakers Show, we learn more about affordable fertility options
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE BY POCSTOCK
Every March, children all over the UK turn their kitchens upside down to make a Mothering Sunday breakfast. Every April, we celebrate Non-Binary Parent’s Day. June brings us Father’s Day and November holds Trans Parent Day. Because of advancements in fertility medicine, many of which you can learn more about at The Familymakers Show this May, more and more LGBTQIA families are able to circle these days on their calendars.
There are many routes LGBTQIA families can take to becoming parents, including IVF. In fact, according to one of the latest Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) reports, LGBQ+ women are one of the fastest growing groups making the most of UK fertility treatment, doubling how many are having IVF or donor insemination treatments in just two short years.
Despite this, the LGBTQIA community still experiences discrimination when seeking reproductive healthcare from the NHS. Just 16% of LGBQ+ women get funding for their first IVF treatment, compared to the 52% of opposite-sex couples.
Without NHS funding, IVF is incredibly expensive. But London Women’s Clinic (LWC) hope to change this. “We believe that IVF should be affordable and without compromise,” reads the brochure for Kind iVF, its package treatment option. At just £3,000, the service offers “all-inclusive IVF” at one upfront cost, no hidden fees.
“When we first looked into it, we wondered if there would be hidden costs. Would we have to give up some of our eggs?” reflects Chelsea, who was 21 weeks pregnant when she spoke to DIVA. “But there’s literally nothing!”
She and her partner, Lorrie, first came to LWC to try intrauterine insemination (IUI), where sperm is injected into the woman’s womb. It’s a cheaper option than IVF but has a lower success rate. As Chelsea explains, “Being two working women, trying to get what we want but also make it cost-effective”, they went with the cheaper option first. It helped that IUI is also less invasive, but unfortunately it was unsuccessful.
The package Chelsea and Lorrie bought offered them two more tries with IUI, but they chose to move to IVF instead. “We couldn’t fault the clinic,” said Lorrie. Following their unsuccessful attempt, the clinic offered to refund the money that was put aside for their next two IUI tries and see if they qualified for Kind iVF, which requires the person getting pregnant to be under 37, have a BMI of 30 or under and a good ovarian reserve. And they made sure the couple had access to therapy if they needed it. Lorrie says, “The support, the counselling — I couldn’t tell you how great they were.”
Like Lorrie and Chelsea, many of the couples who went to LWC said the support was invaluable. Jenna, who has a one-year-old thanks to Kind iVF, says it felt like the nurses were with her and her partner every step of the way, even after their first attempt was unsuccessful. “They were right behind us and so excited when it did eventually work. I felt like they were really with us through the journey.”
“There was no prejudice against us,” adds Jenna. “We were just treated with kindness and respect.” That was a real worry for Jenna and Carla-Marie, her partner. Knowing they would be treated equally was important for the couple, just as it was to know that everything was covered by one clear payment. That sense of certainty is one of the reasons many choose KInd iVF.
Rebecca and Natasha first tried to get IVF via the NHS. This was back in 2022, when a government paper suggested same-sex couples may be able to get funding for IVF more readily. The officials they spoke to assured them this was the case and, after a series of tests and examinations, they were even sent a letter confirming their funding would be granted. After 18 months, when they hadn’t heard anything, they went back, only to hear that their case had been rejected. “In that time, we could have gone privately and already had a baby!” says Rebecca.
The couple opted for Kind iVF with LWC. Then at 17 weeks, Rebecca’s pregnancy became difficult — her waters broke, posing a dangerous situation for the baby — and Natasha remembers the feelings of panic as they reached out to the NHS for therapy and help. TO Rebecca, she recalls: “You were like, ‘Ok, I’m at crisis point. I think I’m losing this pregnancy.’ Eight weeks later, they asked us if we still needed help!”
Thankfully, after weeks of bed rest, Rebecca was able to give birth to a healthy child. During this time, the clinic told them that they would be there for help and support should they need anything. They’re like that with all their patients, regardless of sexuality. Which makes sense because, as Chelsea so aptly puts it: “As women, we’re taught to be mothers, whether you’re straight or gay.” So to be somewhere that does their best to make it easy and accessible for all is beyond amazing. To quote Chelsea: “It was great from beginning to end.”
Find out more about The Familymakers Show here: www.familymakers.co.uk
To read the IVF Equality Manifesto, click here.
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