Once you’ve decided to get pregnant as a same-sex couple, decisions will be made, appointments set and exciting plans laid out. Before you begin taking the first steps to becoming parents, you likely have questions about what to expect with same-sex pregnancy. Dr. Robert A. Kaufmann, MD guides gay and lesbian couples from consultation to pregnancy, serving Dallas-Fort Worth and couples throughout the U.S. and around the world.
As a reproductive endocrinologist specializing in female infertility, Dr. Kaufmann provides clinical expertise and a demonstrated track record for successful IVF and IUI outcomes. Perhaps more importantly, Dr. Kaufmann has earned a reputation for compassionately and inclusively practicing medicine so all who wish to become parents have access to leading edge fertility treatment and care.
Your options for getting pregnant will involve a sperm donor. A female infertility workup will provide answers to whether you will require additional fertility treatment prior to insemination with donor sperm.
Dr. Kaufmann provides baseline fertility treatment and advanced reproductive technologies to address ovulation disorders or anatomical issues such as blocked fallopian tubes.
When you are ready to proceed, getting pregnant as a same-sex couple will involve:
1) Intrauterine insemination (IUI) with donor sperm in a natural cycle (without fertility medications), or a “super ovulation” cycle with Clomid and/or injectable fertility medications.
2) Super ovulation precedes IVF for lesbian couples, and includes several variations:
• IVF with donor sperm
• IVF with donor sperm, possibly donor eggs, and sometimes a surrogate
• Reciprocal IVF, in which one partner provides the egg(s) and the other carries the pregnancy
An online search will yield many at-home methods for insemination techniques: needleless syringes, cervical caps, catheters, and even turkey basters. Sperm from a known donor (informal sperm donation) is not screened for disease, and legal issues concerning paternity are complex.
Conversely, reputable sperm banks screen for sexually transmitted disease, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases. They then quarantine the sample for six months, and then retest before releasing frozen sperm for insemination.
Advantages of working with an infertility clinic for donor sperm insemination or IVF include:
1) Pre-screened sperm is washed, sorted and categorized. Only the healthiest, strongest ‘swimmers’ are selected for insemination.
2) Insemination directly into the uterus increases the odds for getting pregnant.
3) Washed sperm removes the possibility of cramping and infection that can occur when sperm is inserted in the vaginal area below the cervix.
4) Genetic screening, including preconception testing and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and preimplantation genetic screening (PGS), provides peace of mind and protects your investment.
The months ahead will be among the most joy-filled and tumultuous of your lives, and Dr. Kaufmann and his team are committed to making the process as seamless and enjoyable as possible.
Fertility tourism couples that travel to Fort Worth, especially, will appreciate the benefits of working with an experienced fertility clinic, staffed by compassionate and highly skilled physician and nurses.
Contacting Fort Worth Fertility can be your first step toward bringing home the baby that will make all of your extraordinary efforts worthwhile. There is no better time to begin the journey that will lead to becoming a mom.
