Fridae

Europe's first fertility centre for lesbians and single women opened its doors in London yesterday, according to UK's Guardian Unlimited. The Mannotincluded Women's New Life Centre has been set up to provide a confidential service for women planning to start a family without the help of a male partner.

Three months ago, the clinic's website (Mannotincluded.com) became the world's first Internet site dedicated to helping lesbians find a sperm donor. More than 3,000 couples have registered with the site, which claims it now has 5,000 potential donors on its books. Many of the men offering to donate their sperm contacted the website within hours of it going live.

Founder John Gonzales said: "The Women's New Life Centre has been launched in response to the uncaring and insensitive way in which lesbian and single women are treated by a number of clinics due to social prejudice and discrimination.

"And even those clinics that do accept them do not seem to understand the different needs and circumstances of these social groups."

In the past, many lesbian couples have been forced to find donors for DIY insemination themselves as clinics have refused to put them in contact with a donor.

Mr Gonzales, a father of four, believes up to 800 women will pass through his centre's doors in its first 12 months of business.

If the private London centre is a success he plans to open similar ones in Manchester and Edinburgh.

The centre has applied for a licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to carry out inseminations and store frozen sperm on the premises. However until the licence is granted, the centre will not be able to carry out clinical work including inseminations on the premises.

In the meantime, he said, women would be able to go through all the necessary assessments and counselling at the centre and may be able to have clinical treatment at an external licensed facility.