As we continue to celebrate pride month and explore the path to parenthood for LGBTQ+ couples, we are delighted to announce two new events to help couples. Firstly, The Fertility Hub is launching a virtual seminar series this Thursday 2 July entitled – The Path to Parenthood. This first event sees a presentation from San Diego Fertility on IVF vs. IUI. Part two will take place on Thursday 9 July and will see a presentation from All Families Surrogacy on everything you need to know about the surrogacy route. The final segment will take place on Thursday 16 July and will see a presentation from ORM Fertility on sourcing donor sperm. Please click here to watch the seminars.
Rise in same sex parents
The Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA) statistics for 2017 show same sex couples make up 5.9% of couples accessing fertility treatment. They also reported a 12% increase in lesbian couples seeking fertility treatment between 2016 and 2017. There has also been an upsurge in the same sex female patients using their own eggs and a sperm donor. This increased from 10% in 2005 to 32% in 2017. In the same period there was also a sharp rise in the number of IVF treatments involving surrogacy. Experts believe the trend was likely to reflect a rise in the number of gay men seeking to build families using surrogacy. Although these figures were not recorded.
Boutique event
The heterosexual community has many events aimed at family creation, however the same can’t be said for the LGBTQ+ community. So, having events completely designed around the needs of the LGBTQ+ community designed by gay parents is long overdue. Now LGBTQ+ fertility bloggers, TwoDadsUK, are launching The Modern Family Show. This is exclusively for the LGBTQ+ community and will take place in London on 19 September 2020.
This one-day boutique event informs attendees about UK and International family building options, including:
- Surrogacy
- IVF/IUI
- Co-parenting
- Fertility preservation
- Solo parenting
- Egg/sperm donation
- Adoption & fostering
Two Dads
The two men behind the idea are Mike Johnson-Ellis and his husband, Wes, who between them run TwoDads.U.K. This advocacy organisation act as ambassadors helping normalise same sex parenting and destigmatizing surrogacy via their website and their social media channels. Mike said, “Myself and Wes are marketing this as anything but an exhibition. In fact, it’s very refreshing and true to its name. The Modern Family Show is an educational event genuinely and authentically centered around the consumer. We’re here to celebrate family creation on all levels. This is a big deal for us, it is a risk! But it’s the right thing to do and the response has been overwhelming.”
Educational value
Visually this will be one of the more unique events of 2020 as Mike and Wes are working with one of the most experienced LGBTQ+ fertility clinics, The Agora. They are creating some compelling educational material to support everyone from the wider LGBTQ+ community. Dr Carole Gilling Smith, Medical Director of The Agora in Brighton commented, “I am delighted that Michael and Wes have taken the baton to create a safe space for all those in the LGBT+ community to come and talk openly and honestly to professionals about their dreams to create a family. At the Agora we believe that everyone, whatever their gender or sexual orientation, should be empowered with the freedom of reproductive choice, whether it be now or in the future. What I love about this event is that the organisers are doing just that by putting education at the top of their priorities.”
Tickets are available here.
