How LGBT Couples Can Embrace Parenthood

Having a child is not just an evolutionary process but also an issue of great emotional value. Individuals spend significant time in finding a partner and bearing children with them. All over the world, there's a widespread normalizing and legalization of the LGBT community and singles. They are looking to start their family with a genetic offspring as well. The LGBT couples and singles can embrace parenthood through Artificial Reproductive Techniques (ART).

The LGBT couple and singles face situational infertility. It means having legal compliance to have children without a partner or with their particular partner. Transgender people also have issues like sterility, castration, or diminished fertility. But as of now, there's no medical hurdle in child options for LGBT couples and singles. But couples have to think through and arrange for logistical issues, legal difficulties, and financial obstacles that heterosexual couples have to face.

Sperm Donor

Single women, lesbian couples, and the other LGBT couples who don't have a partner for sperm require a sperm donor to fulfill their parental journey. Conception can be done through IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) or IUI (Intrauterine Insemination). In the case of lesbian or other LGBT couples, where both partners can release eggs and sustain the pregnancy, it can be done that egg of one woman is taken while the fertilized egg is planted in another. There's no medical significance, only emotional aspect in this.

There are two kinds of donors in these cases. First is anonymous donors; the identity is not revealed to the woman or couple. But the clinic will register them as the child can know about his genetic father after turning the legal age. This option is also the traditional way. The second way is through a known donor. The donor can be a friend or family, or the couple or lady can meet the donor (if arranged by the clinic). This is a more used method today. As couples/women like knowing about the background, genetic lineage, and other necessary information of the donor.

Whatever the case, the IVF doctor shall examine the sperm for its quality and chance of success. The couple/woman will be given an opportunity to preserve the embryo for future pregnancy or donate them.

Egg Donor and Surrogacy

Surrogacy is not a new word for people. The single men, gay couples, and other LGBT couples who don't have female reproductive organs or face female infertility require an egg donor and/or surrogate mother. The fertilization/conception can be done through IVF or IUI; IUI is more likely. Rarely a man or such couple will demand a different egg donor and surrogate mother.

For this case, too, the donor/surrogate mother can remain anonymous or be a known individual. The child has the full right to be aware of their mother, but after tendering the legal age for the same. Surrogacy is advised to be contracted, and the mother is fully capable of demanding payment for all pregnancy-related treatments, check-ups, and necessities. In the case of anonymous surrogate mothers, the clinic shall act as a mediator for such issues. The man or couple has the right to order the freezing, donation, or destroying of the fertilized eggs if more than one is there.

Upon choice, the single women or lesbian couple can have an egg donor and surrogate mother, or just an egg donor.

Embryo Donor And Surrogacy

This option is for receiving a donated embryo with or without surrogacy. This option can be taken by almost every heterosexual, homosexual, or other LGBT+ couple. But rarely, someone chooses surrogacy with the donated embryo; such couples prefer adoption. However, single women, lesbian couples, and other LGBT couples in which at least one partner has a well functioning female reproductive organ to sustain pregnancy but the quality of eggs isn't proper to choose donated embryos. Usually, the donated embryo comes from the stored backups of previous IVF couples. Rarely, someone has a family, friend, or known to donate both sperm and eggs, for having a fresh embryo. This is why embryo donors remain anonymous individuals.

The above are the ways through which single men, single women, and LGBT+ couples have their own genetic children. Single men, single women, and LGBT+ couples often have to go through the legal process for their home country and the country they are having, to ensure which and if the above points are valid for them to have children. Apart from this, even surrogacy and adoption have certain restrictions and legal restraints to be passed, so they need to be sure and ready for it too. Femicure always wishes all the couples a happy and healthy life and is there to provide them with the best service possible for the various treatments.