As a same sex couple, our only option to have a child and both be the parents, is to have private fertility treatment. There is no NHS route available to us and other methods would involve extra risk, legal issues and complications.

Having spent a lot of time investigating the few options available to us, including considering going abroad to have the treatment, we have decided it's best for us, the baby and financially, to go through a UK based fertility clinic. This will allow us to maximise the time we have available and not introduce extra risk.

Marion previously had endometriosis and tests have shown it might be returning. On top of this, surgery to remove endometriosis tissue previously, has damaged her ovaries, meaning she has a lower reserve and we have less time than we hoped.

We've both wanted children for a while and we're getting married in July, to allow us to start a family together, both legally recognised as parents. The wedding itself has been legally complicated and upsetting, as Jenna is a trans woman and so the English Registry service requires that she be called 'husband' on the day.

With Marion the only one of us capable of bearing children, the future of her fertility uncertain and endometriosis associated pain potentially returning soon, it's never felt more urgent that we find a way to start fertility treatment.

The main issue is the cost. With donor sperm, medication, egg collection, embryo freezing and the rest, a single cycle is over £10,000 and doesn't guarantee a child. Our best option is a package that includes multiple egg collection cycles and implantations - these start at around £16,500, with guarantees for live birth being more expensive.

We want to make sure our child/children have a stable start to life, without our family having the burden of debt that would arise from having to take out a loan to cover the full cost. We are committed to doing whatever it takes, to jump through all the hoops, to have a family, but we want to start by making the best possible choice, a package that guarantees us a child, the family we have always wanted.

Thank you for reading this far. We're so grateful if you're even considering making a donation! We will provide updates here as we go, to let you know how things are progressing.

Much love

Marion & Jenna 🫶🏻