Improving trans and non-binary fertility experiences
Some trans and non-binary (TNB) people decide to become parents, but little research has explored experiences within TNB parent families. IOE research has helped to address this gap in understanding.
Dr Susie Bower-Brown’s PhD research focused on the experiences of trans and non-binary (TNB) parents in the UK. Her study is making an important contribution to an under-researched area and her fellowship project is helping to ensure that it informs and influences wider debates and policy developments in this area.
The key research findings
Dr Bower-Brown interviewed 11 TNB parents, exploring how parents were impacted by gendered assumptions about parenting and how they navigated exclusionary parenting spaces. Parents were found to experience high levels of stigma and the journey to parenthood was a particularly challenging time, as fertility clinics, pregnancy spaces and adoption services were often experienced as un-inclusive. Her research also concluded that parents navigated exclusionary spaces using a range of different strategies. Sometimes parents used pragmatic strategies, such as not coming out or avoiding certain spaces, and at other times they used pioneering strategies, where they aimed to change spaces to be more inclusive for themselves and other TNB parents.
A focus on fertility clinics
Several studies have also highlighted that fertility clinics can be challenging spaces for TNB parents to navigate, but little work has focused on improving the experiences of TNB patients within the 107 fertility clinics in the UK. As more young people identify as TNB, it is likely that more TNB people will pursue fertility treatment in future and gender inclusion is thus increasingly important.
Applying the research to improve the experiences of TNB patients
Dr Bower-Brown’s fellowship project aimed to address gender inclusion in fertility clinics. She produced a short video for clinic staff, sharing key findings from her PhD research and providing three actionable tips for making clinics more inclusive spaces. Dr Bower-Brown collaborated with Rasha Radi, a graphic designer, and Debbie Howe, a fertility counsellor in the Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health (CRGH), one of London’s leading fertility clinics, to develop the resource.
To date, the video has been viewed more than 60 times online and has received positive feedback, with one CRGH clinical staff member stating:
Having the support and insight from Dr Susie Bower-Brown has been greatly appreciated and her video clip… has provided us with vital information.
Debbie also stated that the video provided “useful insight into how the clinic can increase awareness using language, paperwork, and the clinic protocols to create an inclusive environment. It has been very insightful and informative.”
Dr Bower-Brown continues to collaborate with Debbie to improve the experiences of TNB patients in fertility clinics, and Debbie has since set up a working group at CRGH to focus on improving care for TNB patients. An article outlining the research was published in British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA)’s quarterly journal in August 2023. This publication reached hundreds of fertility counsellors across the UK and Dr Bower-Brown has since been invited to present her research at BICA’s Annual Conference (May 2025).
About the academic
Dr Susie Bower-Brown is a Lecturer in Social Psychology at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, part of IOE’s Social Research Institute. Her qualitative research focuses on LGBTQ+ identities and diverse family forms, and her PhD research explored the experiences of TNB adolescents and parents. [2023–24 cohort]