LGBT Family Building
LGBT family building at a glance:
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples who are interested in conceiving children often require assisted reproductive treatment from a fertility specialist.
- For some couples, fertility is not a concern, but an egg or sperm donor, and/or a gestational carrier, may be necessary to achieve pregnancy.
- For other LGBT couples, one or both of the individuals may have reproductive health disorders that can cause infertility, so treatment may be necessary in addition to needing an egg or sperm donor and/or a gestational carrier.
About LGBT family planning
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples who plan to start a family together may opt to use assisted reproductive therapies.
In many cases, LGBT couples visit a fertility clinic without a diagnosis of infertility, and may be fully capable of producing fertile sperm or eggs.
Gay male couples typically require an egg donor and a gestational carrier, while lesbian couples will need a sperm donor and, in some cases, an egg donor as well.
Infertility also affects LGBT couples. If necessary, tests can be done to evaluate the fertility potential of either member of a gay or lesbian couple. A fertility specialist can help you determine the full range of options available for your specific needs.
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In 2009, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Ethics Committee released a report to its membership stating that assisted reproductive clinics “should treat all requests for assisted reproduction equally without regard to marital status or sexual orientation.”