Government urged to end ‘outrageous’ IVF discrimination pricing queer couples out of parenthood

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Stonewall, Britain’s biggest LGBT+ rights group, is urging NICE and the government to end the “postcode lottery” LGBT+ people face when accessing IVF.

A majority of England’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 £2,000 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 £25,000 – 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 – mostly in Yorkshire – do not require LGBT+ parents-to-be to pay anything before accessing NHS care.

This simply can’t go on, Stonewall says. In an impassioned campaign launched Tuesday (18 January), the charity demanded that the government end such disparities in fertility access for good.

As part of the campaign, Stonewall has launched a postcode checker to enable people to check the availability of IVF on the NHS in their area, and showcase just how access to fertility treatment can wildly vary even from town to town.

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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.

Learn how you can help end fertility inequality