Make access to IVF equal for LGBTQ+ people

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Everyone deserves the chance to start a family, no matter their sexuality or gender identity.

Unfortunately, LGBTQ+ people currently face additional barriers to accessing IVF, depending on where they live.

A majority of Englandโ€™s NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) require same-sex couple to privately fund fertility treatment before they are eligible for NHS care, the charity found.

Stonewall analysed data compiled by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), and found that 80 per cent of CCGs require same-sex couples to pay for at least three rounds of artificial insemination out of their own pocket to access IVF on the NHS. Some private clinics charge ยฃ2,000 for a single round.

Of those, a fifth of CCGs demand same-sex couples fund a dozen cycles of artificial insemination, which can cost up to ยฃ25,000 โ€“ pricing many couples out of having children.

Mixed-sex couples, however, face no such hurdles. In most cases, they simply have to say they have been trying to convince naturally for two years to access IVF.

Only 14 CCGs in England โ€“ mostly in Yorkshire โ€“ do not require LGBT+ parents-to-be to pay anything before accessing NHS care.

Use the tool provided by Stonewall to find out about the situation in your local area, and email your MP to demand equal access to fertility services for all LGBTQ+ people.