I am particularly passionate about being up to date with reproductive options for same sex couples that extend beyond just IVF or IUI. I am intimately aware of the many, complex and often insidious challenges that members of our community can face during their journey to create a family.
Society at large is becoming more comfortable with the idea that there is no “normal” when it comes to what makes up a family unit. This, along with recent advancements in equal rights, has fuelled a movement within the highly commercial fertility world that has a great appetite for the “pink dollar”. My experience is that this is a two-edged sword. Such interest can provide impetuous for important structural and legislative change which ultimately increases useful options for creating families. However, it has also seen the emergence of practitioners and practices that are superficial, misguided and precarious; all of which can leave patients feeling used, disappointed and exposed. Single parents, same sex couples and transgender people, undeniably each have a unique set of circumstances that need to be navigated when taking the journey to start a family. However, this need not render these patients vulnerable, ignorant or exposed to commercial exploitation or substandard service. Rather, it does mean these patients must be smart, considered and discerning.