London Women’s Clinic launches new centre in Brighton

Fertility treatment has the potential to be stressful, providing conceptions of severe financial strain, a lack of compassion and long travel distances. It’s hard to know where to start your journey. 

Why not a little closer to home?

As of February 20th of this year, the London Woman’s Clinic (LCW) has opened their doors to the city of Brighton in Preston Park. This spacious, patient-friendly facility has been designed to support the increasing demand within the region of Sussex and the South Coast, expanding access for modern families and parents. 

Here’s what you need to know about what services are provided. 

This new facility shall specialise primarily on consultations, investigations and ultrasound, allowing you to accomplish those initial and very important steps of your journey much closer to home than was previously possible. The treatment procedures following these consultations, including egg collection and embryo transfer, will still be carried out at the LWC’s specialised treatment centre.

“Our mission is to meet patients where they are, while ensuring world-class leading clinical standards. Procedures such as egg collection and embryo transfer remain in our licensed London treatment centre, supported by an expert, experienced laboratory team.” 

– Professor Nick Macklon, Group Medical Director, London Women’s Clinic.

NHS services are also available in the Brighton and Hove clinic, however you may only be viable for them if you meet the criteria for your local Integrated Care Board (ICB). IBC criteria can vary from place to place, so make sure to check the requirements specific to Brighton and Hove. If you’re granted approval, the LWC would then be able to provide their services to you. 

But what if you were to go private? Due to NHS Sussex’s recent changes to the IBC, there has been an increase in financial pressure on patients, causing a higher demand for private and self-funded treatment. Now, private fertility healthcare in the UK typically costs up to £3-5k. If you were to go privately with LWC, they make it a point to consider the costs and provide a fully personalised cost of treatment, specific to your needs, which you will receive during your initial consultation. You can find an honest and direct price list with no hidden add ons on their website. 

A happy London Women’s Clinic Brighton patient said: “Our journey with LWC couldn’t have been any better. The team was promptly at the end of the phone/email for any questions or worries we had. We could not fault any of the staff. They were all truly amazing throughout our journey.”

So, why exactly is this new fertility clinic so significant to Brighton and Hove? Well, as it turns out, Brighton has one of the lowest fertility rates right now, coming at the third lowest in England and Wales. 

There are multiple factors contributing to this. The age of mothers in Brighton and Hove is higher than average, at around 33 years old, and the portion of its LGBTQ+ population is also significantly higher than most areas. 

With this clinic opening up, local couples and solo parents can address fertility in a practical way. For women who have chosen to delay motherhood and focus more on their careers, this also means less time travelling, so there is more flexibility. 

London Woman’s Clinic is a pioneer for LGBTQ+ fertility care in the UK, with members of the community starting families in a variety of ways. A popular choice amongst couples where both partners have a uterus is reciprocal IVF. This is where each parent participates in making a child – with one providing the eggs and the other carrying the pregnancy. London Women’s Clinic also provides inclusive options for transgender and non-binary individuals, such as fertility preservation, insemination or surrogacy. 

This is especially exciting for Brighton and Hove, as the city is a primary location for the LGBTQ+ community and this new fertility clinic can offer a specialised, inclusive and local space in which to plan out a family.

So, of course starting treatment is always going to be daunting, but fertility centres like the London Women’s Clinic may give you an indicator on where to begin without so much hassle. The fact that fertility care is gradually becoming more accessible for the people of Brighton and Hove indicates a future of safe spaces for anyone looking to start a family, spaces that are community oriented and offer a patient-led experience truly fitting with the city’s values.