LGBTQ Conception

We offer a comprehensive range of options for LGBTQ individuals and couples who wish to conceive. We develop treatment plans for LGBTQ conception based on your unique circumstances and will work with you to create one that matches your goals and needs. We have seen many combinations of treatment options in the past and would be honored to help you determine the best arrangement for you.

Reproductive Services for Lesbian Women

For lesbian women, the most common treatment options for conception include sperm donation combined with artificial insemination or IVF. Sperm donation can come from a known donor, such as a friend or family member, or an anonymous donor from a sperm bank. We specialize in helping our lesbian patients navigate the process of selecting a donor.  If you choose to use an anonymous donor, we are able to connect you with the top tier sperm banks. Once you have selected a sperm donor, the sperm bank transfers sperm to the cryotanks in our office and we would proceed with either artificial insemination or IVF, depending on your medical history and goals. 

IVF allows for a unique scenario for lesbian couples in which both partners biologically participate in the pregnancy. In this conception option, an egg from one partner is retrieved, fertilized using donor sperm in the laboratory, and then the embryo is transferred into the other partner who carries the pregnancy. The partner who carries the pregnancy has a gestational link to the child while the partner who provides the eggs has a genetic link.

Reproductive Services for Gay Men

For gay men, the most common option for conception is egg donation combined with gestational surrogacy. The first step of this process is to select an egg donor. Like donor sperm, donor eggs can come from a known donor or an anonymous donor. If you choose to have an anonymous donor, you can select from the excellent selection of egg donors who participate in our egg donor program. Alternatively, if you find an egg donor through an agency we are happy to work with her as well.  In addition, one may choose to use frozen eggs from a donor egg bank.

In the second step, we use IVF to create embryos with sperm from either you or your partner. We transfer the embryo or embryos into the uterus of a woman who is willing to carry the pregnancy, known as a gestational carrier. The gestational carrier can be someone you know or can also be found through an agency. Society Hill Reproductive Medicine partners with a number of agencies that can assist you in finding a gestational carrier.

Reproductive Services for Transgender Individuals

Transgender individuals and their partners have many options available to them for conception. It is possible to preserve eggs or sperm prior to hormonal or surgical treatment for future use. Whether or not you have had a surgical sex change, we can draw on the full range of treatment options, including artificial insemination, IVF, donor eggs, donor sperm, and gestational carriers. For those who have not had a surgical sex change and wish to have a child that is genetically linked, we are able to use your eggs or sperm in any of our treatment options. If a transgender individual has undergone hormonal therapy, we adjust our treatment options accordingly as the balance of hormones can affect the functioning of the reproductive system.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss these or other treatment options further.