Fertility Treatments for Lesbian Couples

Couples decide together which partner will carry the pregnancy. This can be because of personal preference, or because of medical reasons. Some couples also decide to take turns with subsequent pregnancies. Whichever partner will carry this pregnancy will proceed with blood work to test hormone levels, and a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) to evaluate the health of the uterus and fallopian tubes.

1. Sperm Donation:Sperm donation is the provision by a man of his sperm with the intention that it be used in the artificial insemination or other “fertility treatment” of one or more women who are not his sexual partners in order that they may become pregnant by him. Where pregnancies go to full term, the sperm donor will be the biological father of every baby born from his donations.The man is known as a sperm donor and the sperm he provides is known as “donor sperm” because the intention is that the man will give up all legal rights to any child produced from his sperm, and will not be the legal father. Sperm donation may also be known as “semen donation”.

2. IUI: The donor sperm can be used in intrauterine insemination, if the hormonal testing and hysterosalpingogram were normal. During this procedure, the sperm is placed directly into the carrier’s uterus through a small catheter that passes through the cervix. 

3. IVF:

                     IVF for lesbians is a bit more complicated, simply because there are a few different ways that the cycle can occur. The IVF cycle can proceed in a very traditional sense – with one partner undergoing the entire IVF cycle, but utilizing donor sperm.Some couples may choose to have one partner provide the egg and have the other partner carry the pregnancy. This is a more complex treatment. Both partners will undergo tests and will take medication to boost their fertility. The partner who will donate her eggs will also undergo an egg retrieval procedure. The eggs will be inseminated with the donor sperm; once the embryos mature, they will be transferred into the other partner’s uterus. While this is an powerful way for both partners to feel connected to the child.