FROME MP Sarah Dyke has raised concerns in Parliament about unequal access to fertility treatment for same-sex couples.
LGBTQ+ couples are more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to face large bills for private fertility treatment before being eligible for NHS-funded IVF. Speaking in a Parliamentary debate, Sarah Dyke outlined the impact this had on same-sex couples, both financially and emotionally, and explained the dangers that many face on the road to becoming parents.
90% of the NHS’s Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) require female same-sex couples to self-fund six cycles of IUI before they are eligible for IVF, which often leaves them facing prohibitive costs.
Sarah Dyke said that the cost of treatment was preventing many people from starting a family and called on access to fertility treatment to be equal and equitable to all.
In a speech prepared for the debate she said, “I have seen close friends within my community experience the difficulties that we are discussing here today. Many of my friends have felt like they have been blocked by the system and unable to realise their dreams of becoming parents.
“Same-sex couples face a system that makes undergoing artificial insemination costly and arduous. We must not forget the emotional impact that this has on individuals who feel like they are in a fight with a system that discriminates against them and does not understand them.
“90% of ICB’s require female same-sex couples to self-fund 6 cycles of IUI before they are eligible for IVF, leaving them to face extreme and so often inhibitive costs. One cycle of IUI costs £3,000 and as many couples will have to undergo 6-12 cycles of IUI, this means couples are having to pay between £19,600 and £25,000 before they are eligible for NHS fertility services.
“In my constituency residents are served by Somerset ICB, which will fund 9 cycles of IUI and 1 cycle of IVF, but only 4 of the country’s 42 ICB’s give equal access and do not require self-funding. There should be an equal access for same sex couples across the nation’s health care providers and I hope to see this reflected in the next NICE Guidelines in 2024.
“The government’s women’s health strategy has pledged to remove barriers faced by same-sex couples, but has set a ten-year development goal and having spoken to people involved in the industry they fear that this will be pushed back, meaning that many more LGBTQ+ people who want to become parents will be left feeling disenfranchised under the current system as they are unable to afford the huge costs involved in fertility treatment.
“So, every year that goes by has a real impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ people who want to have children. 63% of the LGBTQ+ community want children or already have them. It should further be noted that fertility rate of women peaks in their mid-20’s and drops rapidly after 35.
“Many women choose to have children later in life, with the average age of new mothers in 2021 now close to 31. A delay implementing the women’s health strategy will have real impacts on the LGBTQ+ community’s ability to have children, as they continue to navigate the unequal difficulties currently imbedded in ‘postcode lottery’ system.
“The current situation also drives same-sex couples towards potentially unsafe methods such as seeking sperm donors, who may or may not be known to them. I am concerned about the danger this may place women in. If not married or in a civil partnership the donor will be considered legal parent of any children, giving him rights over and responsibilities for child.
“The safety of sperm is also a concern as the donor may be less likely to have had their health and medical history fully screened. While this discriminatory system exists, the LGBTQ+ community who wish to become parents are being unfairly financially burdened and put at a significant financial disadvantage at the very start of their journey into parenthood. IVF treatment should be equal and equitable for all.”
