Lesbian couple told by GP to have sex with a man to have a baby

A lesbian couple from Manchester reported they were asked by a GP 'Why don't you just go out and find a man to sleep with?', to have a baby.

Elissa Hillier, 32, and her wife Kaylee, 35, made an appointment with their GP in February 2023, hoping to discuss their options when first trying to start a family.

However, the consultation and the GP's advice left them feeling 'scared, disappointed and upset'. Speaking to the Independent, they reported the male GP asked, 'You do know that you need a man to have a baby?'

They were also asked, 'You do know that it needs to be human sperm?' before the GP queried, 'Why don't you just go out and find a man to sleep with?'. The couple have stated that the experience shocked and upset them, but nonetheless believe that, 'He wasn't being rude or mean, you could tell that he was genuinely just trying to understand.'

While the GP did offer to put them on a three-year waiting list for NHS fertility treatment, the couple added, 'He gave no explanation about what that would entail and basically said 'I don't really know how to help you or why you are here.'

All he said was, 'I'm going to put your name on this list and you'll get a call.'

PET (the Progress Educational Trust) carried out a survey of GPs in 2023 that found many GPs in England do not have an accurate understanding of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Fertility Guideline – including local funding guidance or eligibility for referral for specialist consultation (see BioNews 1190). Results are published in the The Power of Three IVF Cycles report.

Nearly three quarters (73 percent) of female GPs stated they would refer if there was a known cause of infertility or reduced fertility, but only half (52 percent) of male colleagues said the same. Younger and less experienced GPs were more likely to refer than older ones.

The Women's Health Strategy, published in June 2022 promised to expand access to NHS-funded fertility treatment for female same-sex couples by scrapping the current requirement that these patients have to pay for up to 12 rounds of intrauterine insemination before qualifying for NHS-funded IVF (see BioNews 1152). The NICE Fertility Guideline is expected to be updated to reflect this, this year.