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Record numbers of lesbian couples are becoming parents through fertility treatment, official figures show. The number of two-mum families jumped by more than a third in 2012, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
The increase coincides with reforms which made it possible for gay couples to receive fertility treatment on the National Health Service. It also reflects the societal changes brought about by the introduction of civil partnerships in 2005.
Women in same sex relationships conducted 766 cycles of IVF in 2012, up 36 per cent on 2011. Similarly, the number of lesbian couples using artificial insemination to conceive was up 20 per cent on 2011, with 1,271 cycles recorded.
The increase follows several legal breakthroughs for gay couples wanting to conceive. In May 2012 new guidelines for fertility treatment made it possible for gay couples and women over 40 to receive IVF on the National Health Service. Legal changes in 2009 also meant lesbians could no longer be discriminated against for trying to produce children without a father.
Natalie Gamble, a leading fertility lawyer, said: “The...
The increase coincides with reforms which made it possible for gay couples to receive fertility treatment on the National Health Service. It also reflects the societal changes brought about by the introduction of civil partnerships in 2005.
Women in same sex relationships conducted 766 cycles of IVF in 2012, up 36 per cent on 2011. Similarly, the number of lesbian couples using artificial insemination to conceive was up 20 per cent on 2011, with 1,271 cycles recorded.
The increase follows several legal breakthroughs for gay couples wanting to conceive. In May 2012 new guidelines for fertility treatment made it possible for gay couples and women over 40 to receive IVF on the National Health Service. Legal changes in 2009 also meant lesbians could no longer be discriminated against for trying to produce children without a father.
Natalie Gamble, a leading fertility lawyer, said: “The...