LGBTQ+ Family

Anyone ready to love and provide for a child deserves the chance to become a parent. That’s the philosophy Jie Deng, MD, PhD, HCLD, FACOG, and her colleagues at Think Fertility in Bellevue, Washington, live by. They offer assisted reproduction options like intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) to help same-sex, transgender, and nonbinary people become parents. Call Think Fertility today to arrange an LGBTQ+ family consultation or use the online booking feature.

I’m LGBTQ+ — can I have a family?

Absolutely. Families come in many shapes and sizes and Think Fertility is proud to support LGBTQ+ couples and individuals.

At your initial consultation and subsequent visits, your provider helps you understand and make decisions about your treatment options based on your and your partner’s fertility evaluation and personal preferences. If you plan to be a single parent, they focus on your fertility and the options available to make you a parent.

What are my LGBTQ+ family options as part of a lesbian couple?

Fertility options for lesbian couples include the following:

Donor sperm with intrauterine insemination (IUI)

With the IUI option, one partner receives a sperm injection into her uterus when she’s ovulating.  

In vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor sperm

The partner providing the eggs undergoes ovarian stimulation followed by egg collection during ovulation. Think Fertility’s embryologists fertilize the eggs with donor sperm in the lab to create embryos and then transfer them to the egg donor’s uterus.

Reciprocal IVF

Reciprocal IVF follows the same course until the embryos are ready for transplantation when they go into the partner’s uterus.

You need to decide which partner is providing the eggs and which is carrying the fetus. You must also choose between using an unknown donor from a sperm bank or asking someone you know to be your sperm donor.

You might need to consider an egg donor if neither partner has viable eggs. If risk factors make pregnancy unwise, you could still have a child using a gestational carrier (a woman who undergoes implantation and pregnancy and then gives the child to the parents at birth).

How do gay men become parents?

Fertility treatment for gay men involves using an egg donor for IVF matched with a gestational carrier. You and your partner undergo semen analysis to see if either of you has any fertility issues. If you’re both fertile, you might wish to use some of each partner’s sperm to fertilize the eggs. You can then select the embryos for transfer or leave it to chance.

What are my options as a transgender individual?

Think Fertility partners with excellent egg and sperm banks and third-party programs, so you have plenty of options for egg donations and gestational carriers.

You can also speak to the practice’s fertility experts about freezing your eggs or sperm before gender-affirming hormone treatment and/or surgery that could affect your future fertility. You would then have the option of using your genetic material to create your family.

Call Think Fertility today to learn more about your LGBTQ+ family options, or use the online scheduling feature to book an appointment.