In a major win for equality, the U.K. government has announced that female same-sex couples will no longer have to pay for expensive rounds of assisted insemination to prove infertility before accessing in vitro fertilization (IVF). The country’s leading LGBTQ advocacy organization has clarified that this will also apply to trans people.
Four recent books (two just out today!) are here to guide LGBTQ prospective parents of all genders and sexual identities (and their health care professionals) on the start of their parenting journeys.
In 1989, I was part of the March for Women’s Lives in Washington, DC, as abortion rights were at risk of being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. I was still recently out as a lesbian, with no thoughts of parenthood yet on my mind, but the idea of the government forcing people to carry unwanted or life-risking pregnancies was as anathema to me as it telling me who to love.
It’s National Infertility Awareness Week here in the U.S. For some LGBTQ and single people, “infertility” means needing outside assistance before even trying to reproduce—sometimes called “social infertility.” For others, infertility is a medical diagnosis indicating that conception will be difficult no matter what. Here are some resources to help regardless of how you may encounter fertility challenges.
Spain’s health minister has extended the country’s free fertility treatments to single women, lesbian and bisexual women, and transgender people who can become pregnant.
After a lawsuit by a queer mom, insurance giant Aetna has said it improperly denied her fertility coverage and will review similar cases. Whether this means a larger change towards equal treatment of LGBTQ people under their policies remains an open question.
The Texas abortion ban that was just upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court is a hugely frightening development for anyone who can get pregnant and for anyone who cares about reproductive rights, including not only abortion access but also assisted reproduction. That’s enough to make it a queer issue—but it has even more possible ramifications for other civil and human rights issues, including LGBTQ rights.
The French Parliament has approved a bill that will allow single women and two-woman couples to use assisted reproductive technologies.
In “Fighting for Fertility,” premiering today on the PBS science series NOVA, transgender dad Trystan Reese and his husband Biff Chaplow are one of several couples profiled who shed light on fertility challenges, new technologies to address them, and systemic inequities that impact fertility and fertility care.
My son is graduating from high school this year, which is making me reflect back to how our family started. Since today is Donor Conception Awareness Day, I thought I’d offer a refreshed version of our experience with reciprocal IVF (my egg; partner’s womb) in hopes of offering some insight or inspiration to others pursuing similar paths.
