We are not infertile’

Challenges and limitations faced by women in same-sex relationships when seeking conception services in São Paulo, Brazil

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15098231
AutoresPaula Galdino Cardin De Carvalho (0000-0002-0756-4920, Universidade de São Paulo, autor de correspondencia), Cristiane Da Silva Cabral (0000-0003-3025-2404, Universidade de São Paulo), Laura Ferguson (0000-0002-1340-793X, University of Southern California), Sofia Gruskin (0000-0002-2418-011X, University of Southern California), Carmen Simone Grilo Diniz (0000-0002-0069-2532, Universidade de São Paulo)
Año2019
Volumen21
Número11
Páginas1257-1272
Fecha de publicación2019-11-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCulture Health & Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1369-1058 • E-ISSN: 1464-5351
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13691058.2018.1556343
PMID30633635
OpenAlexW2911215263
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas12
Referencias citadas29

The use of reproductive technologies has expanded beyond cases of infertility, and opportunities for individuals of different sexual orientations to use such technologies for conception have increased. The authors examined the challenges and limitations faced by women in same-sex relationships seeking conception services in São Paulo, Brazil. They interviewed 16 women in same-sex relationships who conceived children using reproductive technologies. Access to public health services for conception remains limited and exclusive to infertile heterosexual couples. Women in same-sex relationships are forced to select between costly medical treatments in the private sector, or self-insemination with sperm from a known donor. In this study, individuals reported that they experienced adverse effects of treatments; were treated with technologies for infertility when they were, in fact, fertile; and were exposed to unnecessary and invasive interventions. Growing political conservatism and the reduction of investment in public health services are factors that can directly affect sexual and reproductive health, including that of lesbians. Public policies that enable same-sex couples to conceive have yet to be developed in many countries, and a clearer articulation of the right to evidence-informed, rights-based care, consistent with national and international guidelines is a much-needed next step

Conservatism · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Infertility · Political science · Politics · Population · Pregnancy · Private sector · Psychological intervention · Public health · Reproductive health · Reproductive rights · Reproductive technology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies