LGBTQIA+ Community Family Building
At Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey (RSCNJ), we go beyond helping infertile couples. We also proudly offer LGBTQIA+ family building services. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and asexual individuals and couples who dream of having a family can often do so with our assisted reproductive technologies.
We offer our LGBTQIA+ patients the same fertility treatment options that we offer to all patients, including:
- Female fertility testing.
- Male fertility testing.
- Sperm donation.
- Egg donation.
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI).
- In vitro fertilization (IVF).
- Gestational carriers.
- Reciprocal IVF.
Because of the same sex nature of many LGBTQIA+ couples, they often require a combination of such treatments.
Family building for lesbian women
Fertility testing
Female couples hoping to grow their family do not generally seek fertility treatment due to an infertility diagnosis. In most cases, lesbian couples use the services of a reproductive clinic to enable both women to participate in the family building process, whether it is to contribute the genetic material (eggs) or select a surrogate to carry the pregnancy for the couple.
We will do a full fertility work-up on both partners to ensure that the most effective treatments are used. Both artificial insemination or IVF with a sperm donor are available options. The evaluations performed during fertility tests will ensure that a woman does not have female infertility. These tests also indicate whether or not a woman’s body is able to carry a pregnancy. This is especially important if one (or both) partners choose to carry their own pregnancy rather than using a surrogate.
Fertility treatment
Female couples have a number of options when it comes to conceiving. After an initial fertility evaluation, couples can work with a reproductive specialist to determine the next course of treatment for the partner who will become pregnant.
Since an egg’s fertilization by sperm is necessary in order to create a pregnancy, both artificial insemination and IVF with a sperm donor are available options.
Sperm can be donated by a friend or family member after the appropriate testing is done, or by an anonymous donor through a sperm bank.
More on reciprocal IVF
Patient testimonial
This couple shares their patient testimonial and discusses their experience with the staff and doctors at RSC New Jersey.
Family building for gay men
Fertility testing
Similar to lesbian couples, gay male couples generally do not seek fertility treatment due to an infertility diagnosis. Most of the time, they are interested in the services of a reproductive clinic due to the complex process of utilizing their own sperm, an egg donor and a gestational carrier.
Much like that of heterosexual family planning, we still recommend male fertility testing before moving forwarded with assisted reproductive treatments and procedures. The evaluations performed during fertility tests will ensure that a man’s reproductive organs are functioning properly (creating sperm) and that there is no indication of male infertility. These tests also evaluate a man’s sperm to ensure that it is viable to fertilize a woman’s egg for pregnancy.
Fertility treatment
Male couples have a number of options when it comes to conceiving, and they will work with a doctor to determine the best next steps. Since an egg is a necessary part of pregnancy, gay couples will need to use donated eggs, either by someone they know or eggs obtained through an egg donor agency or an egg bank.
From there, a couple can determine if one or both partners would like to contribute their sperm to the pregnancy. One (or both) of the partners’ sperm will be used during IVF to fertilize the egg(s) of an egg donor to create an embryo. The embryo will then be implanted into the uterus of a gestational carrier to carry out the pregnancy.
RadioMD “Fertility Talk” Podcasts
Dr. Alan Martinez discusses fertility options for same-sex couples.
LGBTQIA+ Fertility OptionsFamily building for transgender and other LGBTQIA+ patients
Depending on the individual circumstances of transgender and other LGBTQIA+ patients and couples, family building steps will involve similar treatment options to those outlined above for gay and lesbian couples. These will usually include egg and/or sperm donors, a gestational carrier, IVF and/or artificial insemination. We are sensitive to the needs of this population and can limit office procedures as necessary for the comfort of our patients.
Counseling for LGBTQIA+ family building
In all cases of third-party reproductive treatment as described here, we recommend counseling for the individuals or couples involved to assist with the complicated issues this type of family building can present. In some cases legal counseling and formal contracts are required as well. We will refer LGBTQIA+ patients to experienced providers in this area to protect all parties involved and provide an extra layer of expertise to your care.
Why choose RSCNJ for LGBTQIA+ Family Building?
We recognize that no two families are the same, regardless of sexual orientation. We are proud to use our cutting-edge treatment and technology options to help all couples with their dream of parenthood.