At Rainbow Fertility we understand that as a GP you are generally the first point of contact for LGBTQ+ individuals and couples with questions regarding their fertility and family-building options. To assist you in providing your patients with the best information and guidance, we have put together the following information.
For LGBTQ+ individuals/couples there are a number of viable routes that can be considered when achieving parenthood is the goal. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is one of them.
ART is increasingly being used to enable LGBTQ+ people to have their own children. It is important to remember that this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are infertile or have a fertility problem; however, in some cases LGBTQ+ couples/individuals may learn that they have a fertility problem after starting the family-building process with ART.
In this section, we provide general information about some of the family building options that may be available for the LGBTQ+ community – select an option below to learn more.
Fertility Services for the LGBTQ+ community
PLEASE NOTE: All treatment procedures are carried out at City Fertility in our RTAC (Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee) accredited fertility clinics, where gametes (eggs/sperm) and embryos are also stored.
The term infertility is used when the biological ability of an individual to contribute to conception is diminished or absent. However, this term is generally used if a heterosexual couple has failed to conceive after 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse.
Infertility can happen if there are problems with the normal functioning of the male or female reproductive system. At times the cause of infertility is unexplained (“idiopathic” infertility).
LGBTQ+ individuals/couples may learn that they have a fertility problem after starting the family-building process with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).
In recent years the trend for delaying starting a family has led to increasing infertility rates, with age being the most common and significant fertility factor in females. However, there are a number of other factors that can play a part in causing infertility:
Our specialists will be more than happy to discuss in further detail with your LGBTQ+ patients their options to create a family with Assisted Reproductive Technology, so please don’t hesitate to refer them to Rainbow Fertility.
You should also refer a patient to one of our specialists if the patient has the following:
It is important to note that there is no test that absolutely has to be done before referring an infertility patient as we are always happy to organise them.
We advise to refer oncology patients as soon as possible, before treatment begins, to enable us to give them the best chance of future fertility. Cryopreservation of sperm, eggs or embryos provides them with a more optimistic prognosis.
If patients have undergone a vasectomy or tubal ligation Rainbow Fertility is able to provide treatments to achieve a pregnancy. Surgical aspiration and microinjection of sperm (ICSI) offers an alternative to vasectomy reversal and standard IVF treatment offers an alternative to female sterilisation reversal.
We offer a counselling service accessible to outside referrals (at no cost to the patient) for specialised infertility counselling. At the clinic, patients have the opportunity to use a complimentary counselling session once during every stimulated cycle.
It is not necessary for patients to have private medical insurance for an appointment or treatment at any of our centres.
We offer a range of support services and information to assist your patients in their journey towards parenthood.
They can access information and support via:
Find below a list of links you may find useful:
Please note
For more information or resources please contact our friendly team.
