Gay and lesbian couples often experience more challenges when trying to get pregnant than different-sex couples. Some may also face stigmatization from society, making it even more challenging. If you are gay and ready to have a child, you can consider Santa Monica LGBTQ fertility options for higher chances of pregnancy.
Is it possible for a gay couple to have a biological child?
Gay couples often undergo more challenges when preparing to have a baby than other couples, both financially and biologically. The exciting news is that the California Center for Reproductive Health experts offers fertility options that help overcome these barriers. Once you are ready to have a child of your own, your doctor may educate you about the available fertility option before recommending one that suits you.
Traditional treatment is a fertility treatment that requires a surrogate who may also be the egg donor. In this treatment, you achieve pregnancy through insemination of the sperm using one man’s sperm or a combination of both men’s sperm. Traditional surrogacy is a relatively inexpensive and simple treatment that requires minimal coordination and essential fertility treatments to achieve pregnancy. If mid-cycle intrauterine insemination (IUI) proves futile, your doctor may use advanced treatment techniques like ovulation induction with IUI for higher chances of pregnancy.
California Center for Reproductive Health also offers gestational surrogacy in conjunction with egg donation, where the egg donor and the surrogate are different people. Considering that this procedure requires coordination between the gestational surrogate, intended parents, and egg donors, this technique is more involved than the traditional conservative surrogacy.
What are the reproduction options for single women or lesbian couples?
Lesbian couples are single women ready to get pregnant and have a wide range of reproduction techniques depending on their fertility preferences, personal values, and health. Lesbians can conceive through the same process that different-sex couples go through. But for those who are not comfortable with sexual intercourse with the opposite gender, the professional team at California Center for Reproductive Health can recommend alternative options, including:
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
IUI involves the direct insertion of sperm into your uterus or cervix, imitating the process of fertilization occurring during penile-vaginal intercourse. If you are during donor sperm, your provider pre-washes it and prepares it before insemination. In some situations, your provider may recommend taking specific medications to raise the chances of pregnancy.
- In vitro fertilization (IVF)
IVF is a complex technique that involves fertilizing your egg outside your body. Your provider first removes the eggs from your body, fertilizes them, and waits for them to develop into embryos before implantation. This technique also requires ample time for preparation, during which you will be taking certain drugs to induce ovulation and prepare your body for conception.
- Egg freezing
As a woman ages, the ability to conceive diminishes. If you are a single woman or a lesbian who is not ready for a child at the moment, your provider may recommend egg freezing. This procedure is not different from in vitro fertilization, except that your doctor freezes them before fertilization.
For more information about LGBTQ fertility options, call the California Center for Reproductive Health.
