LGBTQ Family Planning
At Los Angeles Reproductive Center, our team strongly believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to welcome children into their lives. Because of this, we are proud to offer LGBTQ family planning services that assist LGBTQ families in achieving their dream of having a child.
Here, members of the LGBTQ community from Encino, CA, Bakersfield, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Thousand Oaks, CA, and surrounding areas can learn about the fertility services that are available to assist them on their journey to starting the family they desire.
Family Planning for Lesbian Couples
One of the first considerations for lesbian couples who are starting their fertility journey is determining whether one partner will donate their eggs and the other will carry the pregnancy, or whether one partner will do both. This decision is based largely on personal preference and the best chance of treatment success based on each partner’s fertile health.
Whether both women will be biologically connected to the child or only one, they will need to work with a sperm donor to undergo fertility treatment. Patients can choose to get a sperm donation from a personal friend or family member, or they can work with a donor from a donor bank. The two fertility treatments that are best-suited for lesbian couples are intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
- IUI: During an IUI procedure a concentrated sperm sample is deposited directly into a woman’s uterus. Prior to IUI, female patients may undergo ovarian stimulation. Ovarian stimulation promotes the production of multiple mature eggs, so that there are more opportunities for a successful pregnancy.
- IVF: IVF is a multi-stage procedure that oversees every area of conception. IVF starts with ovarian stimulation. Following ovarian stimulation, mature eggs are retrieved and mixed with a collected sperm sample. The eggs are evaluated to see which develop into healthy embryos. Finally, the most viable embryo(s) is selected for embryo transfer. Embryos are deposited into the uterus, in hopes that they will implant and result in a healthy pregnancy. Lesbian couples can choose to have one partner undergo IVF, or they can opt for reciprocal IVF, in which one partner donates her eggs and the other undergoes embryo transfer.
Family Planning for Gay Couples
IVF is the fertility treatment that is best-suited for gay couples who are ready to start a family. To undergo IVF treatment, gay males need to work with an egg donor and surrogate. Egg donors and surrogates can be known, or they can be selected from a donor bank. Egg donors undergo ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval, while the surrogate undergoes embryo transfer to carry the pregnancy. Eggs can be fertilized with a sperm sample collected from either one of the partners, or with a mixture of sperm collected from each prospective father.
Family Planning for Transgender Patients
Family planning options for transgender patients is customized based on each person’s unique situation. Our fertility specialists can work with patients before, during, or after gender affirming surgery to explore fertility preservation options as well as fertility treatment options, which may include IUI or IVF.
Contact Us
Members of the LGBTQ community who are ready to start the family they desire have many options to explore. To discuss your goals with the fertility specialists at the Los Angeles Reproductive Center, and find out how we can assist you in achieving your goal, contact our practice online, or call us at (818) 946-8051.