The English government has decided to remove additional barriers for female same-sex couples to be eligible for NHS-funded fertility treatments.
Currently, to get access to NHS funding, looking to conceive through IVF means demonstrating that you have been trying to conceive “naturally” for a period of time. But how does that work for lesbian couples?
In order to prove they’ve been trying, single women and female same-sex couples have to pay for IUI, a type of artificial insemination that treats infertility, privately. “A 2021 investigation by BPAS found that 76% of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) required same-sex female couples to self-fund a minimum of three cycles of artificial insemination, which can cost up to £1,600 a cycle,” according to the Guardian.
What’s the difference between IVF and IUI? “IUI works by putting sperm cells directly into your uterus around the time you’re ovulating, helping the sperm get closer to your egg,” according to Planned Parenthood. “This cuts down on the time and distance sperm has to travel, making it easier to fertilize your egg.”
IUI is costly. So, while heterosexual couples simply have intercourse a few times to prove they need IVF, single women and female same-sex couples have to fork out thousands of pounds to prove their fertility status.
Under the rule change, which is part of the Women’s Health Strategy, “female same-sex couples and single women will no longer need to privately fund rounds of artificial insemination before being eligible for NHS fertility treatments.”
Female same-sex couples will still have to go under rounds of artificial insemination before going on to IVF, but it will be funded by the NHS.
There will also be action to stop the “postcode lottery” in access to IVF for female and heterosexual couples. “Currently some NHS areas offer one cycle and others three, and some base eligibility for treatment on criteria such as whether a person has a child from a previous relationship.”
Marta Jansa Perez, BPAS Fertility’s director of Embryology, said the rule changes are a matter of equality:
“Fertility services are crucial in supporting the development of different family structures. However, our research has found that female same-sex couples and single women are disproportionately impacted by policies which require that they self-finance costly, and less effective, artificial insemination, in some cases for at least two years, before becoming eligible for funded IVF. These restrictions amount to a tax on LGBT+ families, and the impact can be truly devastating.
“We will be examining the policies in detail when published, and we will continue to campaign for fair and equal access for all fertility patients, including single women.”
England’s first Women’s Health Strategy is tackling the sex-based health gap for all women: “Women live on average for longer than men but spend more of their life in poor health, often limiting their ability to work and participate in day-to-day activities.
“Responses to the call for evidence highlighted a need for greater focus on women-specific health conditions, including fertility and pregnancy loss, and gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 women.
“This will support our ambition that national healthcare services consider women’s needs specifically and by default, and that women can access services that meet their reproductive health needs throughout their lives.”
