If We Were a Straight Couple: Laboring to Navigate LGBTIQA+ Reproductive Bioprecarity in UK Fertility Clinics

Citation

Wilson-Nash C, Takhar J, He C, Al-Ma’ani N & Salu O (2026) If We Were a Straight Couple: Laboring to Navigate LGBTIQA+ Reproductive Bioprecarity in UK Fertility Clinics. Social Science & Medicine, p. 119214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119214

Abstract
This paper uncovers how LGBTIQA+ service users navigate fertility clinics in the UK whilst under conditions of reproductive bioprecarity. By conducting 36 interviews with 54 fertility service users and providers, we identify four types of reproductive labor (intimate, emotional, decisional, and auto-didactic), which are used to manage structural and clinical inequalities. We contribute to existing theory by introducing novel forms of labor (decisional and auto-didactic) and by framing reproductive bioprecarity as a dynamic process in which service users can actively experience and mitigate precarity. While some labors enhance agency, others increase vulnerability, highlighting a need for policy reform, inclusive clinical practices, and targeted support for LGBTIQA+ fertility service users.

Keywords
fertility clinics; reproductive bioprecarity; reproductive labor; healthcare inequalities

Journal
Social Science & Medicine