TL;DR: A new trans-led study into the UK's fertility clinics has found vast gaps in clinical knowledge about the needs of queer people, affecting our access to help, mental health needs and the support we deserve.
A new study has found vast gaps in clinical knowledge relating to LGBTQ+ patients in fertility providers across the UK.
The research was carried out by a trans-led team, who published the first UK-wide audit on LGBTQ+ inclusion in fertility care in the scientific journal Reproduction this week. It has exposed significant gaps in clinical knowledge and inclusion practices for queer and especially Trans+ patients.
In particular, it found that only half of doctors meet minimal standards of clinical knowledge for LGBTQ+ patients - and even fewer are knowledgeable about care for transgender and gender-diverse patients.
The research also notes that while many clinics project inclusivity in their marketing materials, this isn’t backed up in practice.
Chloe He, one of the researchers, told QueerAF that clinics should be held accountable for delivering LGBTQ+ inclusion, especially if they claim to be inclusive in marketing:
"Our audit identified a disconnect between clinics that claim to be LGBTQ+ inclusive online and their actual practices. While the specific reasons aren’t entirely clear, the dissonance may result from inadequate communication between marketing departments and the clinicians delivering care on the ground"
What else did the study expose?
While most clinics included in the study had pathways for same-sex couples, fewer had pathways for transgender and gender-diverse patients. This was another dissonance with many marketing materials, which use the LGBTQIA+ initialisation as a homogenous catch-all term without having practices which understand the nuanced differing needs of those in the community.
It also found there was a "crisis" level lack of mental health support for LGBTQ+ patients, and that few clinics were aware of queer-inclusive mental health care providers.
What should care providers do now?
Chloe He told QueerAF that clinics should now ensure staff are adequately trained to meet the unique clinical needs of LGBTQIA+ patients in a "culturally sensitive way, proactively bridging the gaps in knowledge left by the medical education system."
That would look like developing specific care pathways, making sure paperwork and facilities are inclusive of gender-diverse people, and ensuring marketing is backed up by practice.
"In the longer term,” He went on, “clinics may want to consider increasing LGBTQ+ representation in their workforce, allowing care standards to be shaped by the people they affect."
Analysis: Fertility care is a top priority in the UK's queer sector
This research is timely, as reproductive rights are high on the agenda globally and birth rates are rapidly declining in the UK.
It's also an area where inequality for LGBTQIA+ people has long existed - something which has made the issue a top priority for many LGBTQIA+ sector groups.
Last year an unfair burden long-placed on LGBTQIA+ families and single women was dropped. Meanwhile, QueerAF founding members Whitney and Megan Bacon-Evans were one of the multiple couples who brought legal challenges against the inequality in the system. They later won their case.
Research like this exposes a wider issue in UK healthcare. It shows the wider inequity our community faces when trying to access the healthcare we deserve - simply because of who we are.
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