Top fertility treatment for young lesbian couples

Hello, I would like to become pregnant, preferably by August, 2016. I’m in my late 20s, so I would like to know which could be the most advisable technique in my case taking my age into account. In principle, I don’t suffer from any pathology or fertility problem that could make if hard for me to get pregnant. Anyhow, my partner is a woman, so we have no choice but to turn to assisted reproduction to have a baby! But please, let us know which technique is the most appropriate in our situation… Thank you very much for your kind reply.

Dear Betty,

In general, provided that your egg quality is normal for your age, the first fertility option advised for lesbian couples is donor insemination (DI), also known as artificial insemination by donor (AID). This is the less invasive and therefore simplest assisted reproduction technique.

In case of DI failure, you will be advised to move to more invasive techniques, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). The more invasive, the greater your chances of achieving pregnancy. The reason why you are first recommended to undergo DI is that, in this case, gamete (eggs and sperm) manipulation is required in a very small proportion. Besides, with DI you don’t need to undergo surgery for follicular puncture (egg retrieval).

In case both of you want to participate in the journey to pregnancy, there is another type of IVF known as “Reciprocal IVF”, also called “Partner Assisted Reproduction”. This treatment stands for the reception of oocytes from partner and works in the following way: firstly, one woman hands her eggs over, which will be fertilized with donor sperm and then implanted into the uterus of the other woman, who will carry the pregnancy. It is a way for both partners to get involved in the entire process. In this case, the technique used is intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), with subsequent ovarian stimulation and follicular puncture.

The following thread may be of interest, since there you can find a list with all fertility options for lesbians: Lesbian couple preparing for motherhood with PCOS, odds of pregnancy?

Your final choice is up to you 🙂

Hope you can share your story with us,

Best wishes