LGBTQ+ Fertility

LGBTQ+ Family Building

West Coast Fertility Centers welcomes intended parents of all backgrounds and sexual preferences. We proudly support the gay, lesbian, and transgender community. West Coast Fertility believes everyone has the right to experience the gift of parenthood!

We help those in the LGBTQ+ community achieve their dreams of starting a family. Every child deserves to grow in a loving and caring home. We serve LGBTQ+ couples and individuals, irrespective of whom they love, by providing easy and open access to our state-of-the-art fertility center.

Our fertility experts ensure a personalized patient experience extending superior fertility care at each of our locations in Downtown Los Angeles and Fountain Valley, California.

Fertility Treatment for Lesbian Couples

Available treatment options offered for lesbian couples by West Coast Fertility Centers include Donor Sperm Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

Intrauterine Insemination, also known as artificial insemination, places donor sperm directly into a woman’s uterus at the time of ovulation.

Lesbian couples require a sperm donor. Choosing a sperm donor is a very personal decision. Sperm donors may be selected based on criteria including physical characteristics, family history, and education. There are two paths to getting donor sperm:

  • Anonymous sperm donation - A licensed sperm bank allows the couple to choose their donor. The bank provides donor profiles and all donors are screened for infections and medical issues. The sperm obtained from a bank is available for immediate use.

  • Known/Directed sperm donation - Some choose to use the sperm of a friend or an altruistic stranger. The donor is required to undergo a semen analysis and testing for infections. A six month quarantine of frozen sperm is required prior to its use.

Success rates with Donor Sperm IUI depend on the age of the woman; with 15 to 20% of young women typically achieving pregnancy per IUI attempt.

Lesbian couples may also select IVF. IVF treatment is used when IUI is unsuccessful or medically not an option. IVF is also a great option allowing either one or both partners to participate in the process.

Possible IVF scenarios:

  • Reciprocal IVF involves collecting eggs from one partner, fertilizing them with donor sperm, and implanting the embryo into the other partner.

  • Using eggs from both partners and donor sperm, the embryo is implanted into one partner.

  • Using eggs from both partners and donor sperm, the embryos are implanted into both partners.

  • Using the eggs from one partner, fertilizing them with donor sperm, and implanting the embryo into a surrogate.

  • Using donor eggs and donor sperm, the embryo is implanted into one partner.

  • Using donor eggs and donor sperm, the embryo is implanted into a surrogate.

Lesbian couples should keep the following questions in mind:

  • Which partner will provide the eggs?

  • Who will provide the sperm?

  • Who will carry the pregnancy?

Fertility Treatment for Gay Male Couples

IVF is a great option for family building for gay male couples interested in having a biological child. One or both men provide sperm, which is used to fertilize eggs from a donor, the resulting embryo(s) are then transferred into a gestational carrier.

Egg donors can be someone known to the couple or a woman prescreened by an West Coast Fertility partner egg donor agency. The age of the egg donor plays a pivotal role. Fertility tends to decline with age, thus, the age of the donor should be between 21 years old and 33 years old.

  • Anonymous egg donor - If you decide to go with an anonymous donor, it is important to choose a reputable egg donor agency. West Coast Fertility has partnered with several reputable and ethical agencies.

  • Known/Directed egg donor - You can decide to use the eggs of someone you know. The process of retrieving eggs from a woman’s body generally takes several weeks, a course of fertility drugs, and a short outpatient procedure performed under sedation. It is a significant commitment for your donor, and she has to be comfortable working closely with West Coast Fertility.

Once the egg donor has been selected, she will have to undergo an intensive screening process comprised of psychological, genetic, medical, and infectious disease tests. Both the egg donor and the gay male couple are advised to seek counsel with an attorney specializing in reproductive laws. After these steps are complete, a fresh egg donation IVF cycle can start.

Another option to consider is to use frozen donor eggs. West Coast Fertility collaborates with several reputable egg donor banks, which allow our patients to select a batch of eggs that were previously retrieved from a donor and ship them for fertilization. This can be a great option since the donor has already undergone the time-consuming screening and retrieval processes and the eggs are available for immediate use.

At West Coast Fertility Centers, our policies comply with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) requirements.

West Coast Fertility offers gay male couples two options for surrogacy:

Traditional Surrogacy with Artificial Insemination (AI)

In this option, the surrogate is artificially inseminated with the sperm of the intended father.

Gestational Surrogacy

Through the IVF process, eggs are collected from the ovaries of the egg donor and are fertilized using the sperm of one or both of the intended partners. The resulting embryo(s) are transferred to the uterus of the gestational carrier to establish a pregnancy.

Questions for gay male couples to consider:

  • Whose sperm will we use?

  • Who will be our egg donor?

  • Who will carry the pregnancy?

Fertility Options for Transgender Individuals

Transgender individuals should consult a reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) physician prior to undergoing transition. West Coast Fertility offers advanced fertility preservation options, including egg and sperm freezing, which enable subsequent family-building.

LGBTQ+ Parenting Statistics

Gay and lesbian parenting statistics in the United States of America:

  • Approximately 3 million LGBTQ+ Americans have a child.

  • Around 6 million children in America have an LGBTQ+ parent.

  • 19% of same-sex couples in the United States have children under the age of 18.

  • Around 37% of LGBTQ+ adults have had a child at some point in their lives.

Source - Williams Institute, US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS)

West Coast Fertility Provides Top Fertility Care for LGBTQ+ Patients

West Coast Fertility offers individualized treatment plans to meet the unique needs of LGBTQ+ patients. All patients start with an initial consultation to review their medical history, treatment and financial options. Our board-certified physicians diagnose and develop an individualized treatment plan. Our expert physicians specialize in advanced reproductive technologies and proudly serve the LGBTQ+ community offering: IVF, egg freezing, sperm freezing, IUI with donor sperm, egg donation, surrogacy/gestational carrier services, and more.

West Coast Fertility has partnered with the most discreet and highly reputable agencies to provide you with careful screenings and to uphold strict criteria for egg and sperm donation, surrogates and gestational carriers. This ensures the highest medical safety protocol and protects couples from potential legal complications.