A Guide to Providing LGBTQ+ Inclusive Reproductive Healthcare. Pride in Birth

This evidence-based guide brings together a wide range of information and practical tools for midwives, obstetricians, nurses, health visitors and birthworkers, empowering them to provide safe and compassionate care throughout the reproductive journeys of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. This book may also be helpful to LGBTQ+ people in their own reproductive journeys.

Throughout history, in cultures around the world, LGBTQ+ people have become pregnant, sought abortion care, miscarried, experienced infertility, given birth, and made decisions about infant feeding. Their reproductive journeys are increasingly visible, reflecting the changing social and legal recognition of sexual and gender minority people as parents. LGBTQ+ people require support during these significant life events which is appropriate, expert, and meets their needs. However, healthcare professionals and birthworkers may not always be confident in working with these clients and may lack understanding of LGBTQ+ clients’ experiences. There is also often insufficient attention paid to differences in the LGBTQ+ non-gestational parents’ experiences. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book brings together up-to-date research findings from a range of fields including medicine, psychology, sociology, law and public health, to provide a knowledge base and tools to support clients at different stages of pregnancy and parenthood. The book follows the reproductive journey, moving from pre-conception and fertility research, through pregnancy and birth, to postnatal physical and mental healthcare. It also addresses termination care and perinatal loss.

The chapters contain vignettes to personalise the issues discussed, highlights key practice recommendations, and suggestions for further reading. This is an essential guide for student midwives and medical students, as well as health visitors, midwives and obstetricians in practice.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Mari Greenfield, Kate Luxion, El Molloy and Alice-Amanda Hinton

1 – Contraception and sexual health

Alice-Amanda Hinton

2 – LGBTQ+ fertility and conception

Susie Bower-Brown and Sophie Zadeh

3 – LGBTQ+ pregnancy loss

Ash Bainbridge

4 – On Abortion, Sexual and Gender Minority Pregnant People, and Reproductive Justice

A J Lowik

5 – Antenatal education

Kayleah Logan and Slade Riverfield

6 – Navigating choices in pregnancy and birth

El Molloy and Kate Luxion

7 – Birthing in the context of minority stress, fear of childbirth and birth trauma

Sofia Klittmark, Hanna Grundström, Katri Nieminen, Josephine Lindén Åsell and Anna Malmquist

 8 – Birth partners’ experiences

Alex Howart

9 – Infant feeding 

Nina A Juntereal and Diane L Spatz

10 – Processing birth experiences

Mari Greenfield, El Molloy, Sofia Klittmark and Anna Malmquist

11 – Postnatal mental health

Zoe Darwin and Lucy Warwick-Guasp

12 – Infant health surveillance services

Sarah Arnold

13 – The mind-body connection or why an interdisciplinary approach matters

Kate Luxion