Same-Sex Couples
Starting your journey to conception.
Deciding to build a family as a same-sex couple is a major life decision that involves thoughtful planning. Through long-established fertility treatments, there are many pathways to building a family as a same-sex couple.
Same-Sex Male Couples
Same-sex male couples or single men can have a biological child with the assistance of a surrogate or egg donor and gestational carrier through IVF. You and your partner can provide sperm, and your egg donor and gestational carrier can be known to you or anonymous.
Egg donors are typically between the ages of 21-35 and have undergone comprehensive medical tests to help reduce the chances of genetic diseases. Your donor eggs can be supplied from a fresh egg donation or a frozen egg bank, depending on your requested donor characteristics.
When choosing your egg donor, you’ll be asked to consider a handful of factors, including chances of successful implantation, proven fertility, hair and eye color, educational background, and more.
A gestational carrier will carry the embryo created from the donor eggs and your sperm and have no genetic relationship to your child. Gestational carriers have had at least one successful pregnancy, are raising a genetic child, and are typically between the ages of 21-40.
Same-Sex Female Couples
Same-sex female couples or single women can have biological children through IUI or IVF using donor sperm. Sperm donors can be known or anonymous and undergo comprehensive medical testing regarding their medical and family history, genetic background, and more. Every donor sperm receives analysis and testing to identify any possible genetic diseases that could be passed to your child.
When selecting a sperm donor, same-sex female couples will also be asked to consider other factors such as donor pregnancy rate, eye color, hair color, educational background, height, ethnicity, and more.
As a same-sex female couple, you have various options in regard to pregnancy. For example, if you wish to carry the pregnancy from your own eggs and testing determines no known fertility issues, then pregnancy can be achieved via IUI. On the other hand, if you want to share a pregnancy by carrying an embryo from your partner’s egg, she can be your egg donor via IVF.
Protecting Your Family
From surrogacy contracts and gay adoption laws to birth certificate issues and dispositional control over frozen genetic material, you’ll need a comprehensive team with the experience to help you navigate complex reproductive laws to protect your family.
Our fertility doctors partner with agile reproductive teams, including attorneys and psychologists, who understand the importance of communicating directly to ensure your journey toward parenthood is properly planned for, protected, and managed.
Conception & Beyond
Starting the journey to build your family as a same-sex couple is an exciting time that requires preparation and patience. Preconception counseling is the first step in your journey and can give you the answers you and your partner need to make the best decisions for your family. Schedule a preconception counseling session today. Our experienced fertility doctors in Raleigh are ready to meet you wherever you are on your journey to conception.
Atlantic Reproductive provides fertility treatment, testing, and more to patients in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Fayetteville, Chapel Hill, and beyond from our office in Brier Creek. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.