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If you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, navigating fertility and starting a family might be a confusing, difficult process. Hormone University is here to help!
Here is an overview of several fertility options for LGBTQ+ individuals!
Gay couple
Gay men often turn to egg donation and have a child via a surrogate. Oftentimes, the surrogate is artificially inseminated, but donor eggs can also be fertilized through IVF and the resulting embryo can be transferred to the uterus of the surrogate. Only one man’s sperm can be used to create an embryo, but many couples opt for split insemination and try to fertilize half the eggs with one man’s sperm and the other half with the other man.
Lesbian couple
Lesbian women often use artificial insemination and use a sperm donor to conceive. If they are having a difficult time conceiving, many turn to IVF as well. Lesbian couples can try to go through co-ivf, a process where one women’s egg is fertilized by the sperm and transferred to the other women’s uterus for pregnancy. In order to decide which partner will carry the pregnancy, couples often consider who has the most balanced hormones and uterine function.
Transgender couples
Transgender individuals can also preserve their fertility through freezing their eggs or sperm before hormone therapy. This can also allow them to remain unchanged and healthy for years to come before a pregnancy is actually planned. Depending on their assigned sex at birth, a transgender man may be able to conceive and be pregnant as well.
Always consult your physician before making any decisions regarding fertility. Conceiving can be a complex, confusing process, so make sure you are educated and aware of all your options!
Hormone University was created as an educational platform with the mission to improve hormone health through accessible knowledge and to advocate for social impact in our communities.
You’re not alone.
80% of the adult female population has experienced hormonal imbalance at one point in their life that affected not only their physical health but also their mental health. Coping with pain, infertility, anxiety, depression, body image issues, and, on top of this, judgment is the heavy load most of these women have to bear each day and an important problem we need to tackle as a society.
