LGBT Center

Family Building for Lesbian Couples

At Fertility Florida we believe this will be a join venture, and that success will depend on a number of variables. First and foremost, it will depend on the health and fertility of the woman who will carry the infant. Secondly, it will depend on the quality of the donated sperm. Thirdly, it will depend on selecting the correct approach to combine sperm and egg. We are committed to optimizing this process and will make every effort possible to fulfill your dreams to achieve a pregnancy in the most efficient and cost effective manner.
Intrauterine insemination with donor sperm

The most common methods for our lesbian couples to obtain pregnancy is through a procedure known as intrauterine insemination or IUI. In this process the woman will be inseminated with sperm from a donor. In most cases the sperm is purchased from a bank and then injected with a soft catheter into the uterus itself. This procedure works very well for women who have a normal uterus and functioning fallopian tubes. In some cases fertility drugs are needed to normalize the menstrual cycles or enhance fertility chances per cycle. Decisions regarding the use of these medicines can be decided at the time of the initial consultation.

In vitro fertilization

In vitro fertilization is another method utilized by lesbian couples to become pregnant. It is an alternative to intra uterine insemination IUI and is sometimes necessary if the fallopian tubes are compromised or there are other reasons that the woman cannot become pregnant using by less involved methods. This procedure has been described in other sections of this site, but basically involves fertilizing the woman’s eggs. This procedure has excellent success and will be the best option for certain couples.

Gay Couples and Family Building

Gay couples are welcome to our practices and will be treated with respect and dignity. We have a number of options for family building and these will be discussed at the first visit. Initial testing to determine the quantity and quality of sperm will be a component of the first visit as this will determine the approach to be taken.

Surrogacy
Surrogacy is one alternative that our Gay patients choose. With surrogacy the selected woman is inseminated with the sperm of the one of the partners. In general, insemination is done through intrauterine insemination of washed sperm. The resulting pregnancy is then carried by the inseminated woman for the Gay couple. In some cases the woman can become pregnant through IVF procedure.

Gestational Carrier
Gestational carrier is another method used for obtaining a child in the gay community. In this procedure the woman is impregnated with the fertilized eggs of a donor. In this case, the donors egg are obtained by aspiration and then fertilized in vitro with one of the partners sperm . The fertilized egg is then transferred to a third party carrier who gives birth to the infant for the couple.