IVF babble’s theme this month is equality and diversity within the fertility world. We asked our partnership clinics to tell us what they do to promote it within their work…
One clinic that puts it at the heart of what they do is the Lister Fertility Clinic. The clinic took a stand at this year’s Brighton Pride to promote 30 years of helping the LGBTQ+ community to start a family.
How did Lister Fertility Clinic participate in this year’s Brighton Pride parade?
We designed a stall specifically for Brighton Pride Parade which featured the rainbow flag synonymous with the LGBTQ+ community and handed out Pocketmate festival kits to festival goers. The complimentary kits contained a pack of wet wipes, face spray, deodorant spray and a roll of mints – all of which proved to be a hit as all 500 were handed out.
Our colourful stand showcased 30 years’ experience successfully helping same sex couples start a family through; free IVF with egg sharing, IVF, egg freezing, and egg donation. My team and I also got a chance to ‘go bright’ which was a pleasant change from our usual office attire.
This year was the most well-attended Brighton Pride Parade to date with more than 400,000 people participating. What was your highlight?
Wow, that’s a lot of people. It definitely felt busy as we were constantly interacting with the crowd and answering some really interesting questions. The highlight for us was seeing the positive outcome and interest from the diverse crowd in attendance and talking to them about the range of services we offer at Lister Fertility Clinic. We were surprised to find out that a lot of couples had not heard about egg sharing and how they too could benefit from the service.
Why did you attend the event?
To inform same sex couples of their options available at our clinic in particular; intra-partner donation, egg sharing and egg sharing intra-donation.
Tell us more about egg sharing at Lister Fertility Clinic
Egg sharing is aimed at individuals considering expanding their family whilst helping others grow theirs.
If you choose to share your eggs with another woman who is unable to produce her own eggs, we can offer either a free round of standard IVF treatment or IVF at a discounted rate, depending on the pathway you decide to choose.
Lister Fertility Clinic has treated many same-sex couples and single ladies considering to use donor sperm. A very popular option between couples is shared motherhood or intra-partner donation, where one partner donates their eggs to the other partner for her to carry the baby. This will allow the couple to both feel involved and share the experience together. Egg Sharing can also benefit couples considering intra-partner donation as their cost of IVF is reduced.
The waiting lists for ladies waiting for donor eggs in the UK is increasing due to a shortage of donors available. Donors undergo ovarian stimulation and egg collection to produce eggs and donate to one or two women on our waiting list. Their kindness and generosity allows many childless couples to achieve their ultimate dream of having a family.
What was the response by Brighton Pride attendees to egg sharing?
They were really intrigued and surprised at the lower cost of IVF associated with egg sharing. Most were unaware of being able to donate their eggs to help another family as well as the option of intra-donation allowing both partners to share the experience.
To find out more about our lower cost effective treatment options, please visit our website.
