LGBTQIA+ Fertility Options

LGBTQIA+ fertility options for all genders

Today’s assisted reproductive technologies make biological parenthood possible for people from all walks of life. At our inclusive and welcoming fertility care practice, we understand the unique challenges that LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples face when it comes to building a family. We proudly support same-sex couples with LGBTQIA+ fertility options, helping all individuals access effective treatments to experience the joy of parenthood.

Whether you are a single individual who wants to have a baby or preserve your fertility, or a same-sex couple eager to become parents, we offer multiple fertility treatment options for you.

Donor insemination

Donor insemination, also known as intrauterine insemination or IUI, is a highly effective treatment for single women or lesbian couples. IUI involves the use of donor sperm to fertilize an individual’s or a couple’s eggs.

Donor sperm can be obtained from a known donor or from sperm banks, where donors undergo thorough screening and testing for infectious diseases and genetic conditions. The partner who wishes to carry the pregnancy will be monitored in our office to determine when she is ovulating, so that the insemination can occur at exactly the right moment. In some cases, the woman will take medications to prompt ovulation and ensure that her uterus is primed for an embryo to implant and grow.

IVF

In vitro fertilization is a widely used assisted reproductive technology that involves the fertilization of eggs with sperm outside the body. This is one of the most effective LGBTQIA+ fertility options because it can overcome many causes of infertility, such as blocked fallopian tubes or premature ovarian failure, and can involve the use of sperm or eggs from a known or anonymous donor.

IVF provides greater flexibility for lesbian couples, as one partner can provide the eggs, and the other can carry the pregnancy. Many couples choose this technique, called reciprocal IVF, because both partners want to participate in the joy of creating their child together.

Surrogacy/Gestational Carrier

Gay male couples or single men also use IVF to have biological children. In these cases, men need both an egg donor and a gestational carrier, or surrogate, to carry the pregnancy.

In gestational surrogacy, an embryo is created through IVF, typically using the intended parents’ sperm and donor eggs. While multiple embryos may result, just one is transferred to a surrogate’s uterus to avoid the risk of multiple birth. The surrogate who carries the pregnancy is not the egg donor, so she is not genetically related to the child. Remaining embryos can be cryopreserved for future attempts at pregnancy.

Surrogacy arrangements require legal agreements to protect the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved.

Fertility preservation

LGBTQIA+ individuals who are not ready to start a family, but want to preserve their fertility for future parenthood, should consider fertility preservation options. This is particularly relevant for transgender individuals who may undergo hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries that can affect their fertility.

At Conceive NJ, we offer both egg and sperm freezing, which allow individuals to preserve and store their reproductive cells for future use, when and if they are ready to proceed with IUI or IVF to have a baby.