Same-sex female couples and single women can pursue donor sperm IVF for lesbians
When members of the LGBTQ community need help starting or growing their families, they often turn to Texas Fertility Center San Antonio. Erika Munch MD and our entire clinic team believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to have a biological child. Not only that, but our San Antonio LGBTQ fertility specialist has the experience and knowledge to make it happen. Using lesbian fertility treatment options like donor sperm IVF for lesbians, Dr. Munch helps women achieve their dreams of motherhood.
The combination of IVF and sperm donation is one of the most popular lesbian fertility options. The reason boils down to its effectiveness and ability to allow both partners to play a role in the process.
How does donor sperm IVF for lesbians work?
When it comes to lesbian fertility options, patients have two choices. The first is in vitro fertilization with donor sperm, and the second is reciprocal IVF. Both paths to motherhood follow the same steps. However, reciprocal IVF allows one partner to provide the eggs for the IVF cycle, and the other partner to carry the pregnancy.
Before starting with either type of donor sperm IVF for lesbians, patients need to select a sperm donor. This is a healthy man who can provide sperm that is capable of successfully fertilizing an egg. Some patients ask a man they know to be their donor, but most patients use a sperm bank.
After selecting a sperm donor, lesbian fertility options using in vitro fertilization involve several steps.
- The partner who will provide the eggs for the pregnancy will take injectable fertility medications. She will also have regular monitoring appointments to determine when her eggs are mature.
- Once the eggs reach maturity, the patient will have an outpatient egg retrieval She will receive light sedation so that she remains calm and comfortable.
- Embryologists in the IVF lab will then fertilize the eggs with the donor sperm using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). They will then monitor the fertilized eggs as they develop into embryos.
Finally, our San Antonio LGBTQ fertility specialist will transfer an embryo to the uterus of the patient who will carry the pregnancy. With traditional donor sperm IVF for lesbians, this will be the patient who provided her eggs. In a reciprocal IVF cycle, this person will be the partner of the woman who provided her eggs.
Two weeks later, the patient who underwent the embryo transfer will return to the clinic for a pregnancy test. Hopefully, the patients and Dr. Munch will then celebrate a positive test.
Explore all the lesbian fertility options at Texas Fertility Center
Our San Antonio LGBTQ fertility specialist offers many lesbian fertility options, including donor sperm IUI. As a patient, Dr. Munch will help you decide which treatment will best help you achieve your family-building goals. After selecting your path to motherhood, our entire team will guide you through the process of having a healthy baby.
If you’d like to learn more about lesbian fertility options, contact us to schedule an appointment and get started.