Egg Donation and LGBTQ+ Family Building

This Pride Month, in addition to celebrating the bravery and courage of the LGBTQ+ community, we’d also like to acknowledge the determination and perseverance of countless gay, trans, and lesbian individuals and couples who’ve embarked on the journey of parenthood via third-party reproduction. While the journey towards becoming a parent raises a number of obstacles and concerns for many, the process can be especially trying for LGBTQ+ couples and individuals seeking biological children. While it can be a challenge, the journey to parenthood via third-party reproduction is a beautiful and rewarding experience that can be made possible with a little love, patience, and a donor.

Egg Donation

Depending on the biological capabilities of the couple, some intended parents, such as same-sex male couples, are in need of an egg donor when attempting to conceive. In this scenario, typically one partner provides the sperm that will be combined with the donor eggs. However, there are some cases in which the donor eggs are divided, and both partners provide sperm to then conceive children that are half-siblings. In addition to an egg donor, same-sex male couples will also require a gestational surrogate to carry their child to term.

Before conception begins, the intended parents must first choose their egg donor. To ensure all candidates are motivated and qualified, all donors undergo an extensive application and interview process. When choosing a donor that is right for your family, you may want to consider desired physical characteristics, your own family history, and the overall feeling you get from a donor’s profile. While a decision such as this may seem daunting, we encourage all intended parents to remain positive and follow their instincts.

Once a decision has been made, the eggs are retrieved, and a sperm sample is provided, you may be nine months away from finally holding a child of your own. Of course, as with all pregnancies, there may be some initial failed attempts, so typically multiple embryos are created from the donor eggs and sperm samples.

Pride in LGBTQ+ Family Building

Without the bravery of those who fought for LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms, countless gay, trans, and lesbian couples and individuals would not have been able to create the families they can today. Achieving parenthood via third-party reproduction requires a great amount of deliberation, patience, and hope, and therefore LGBTQ+ family building most definitely deserves to be recognized and celebrated this Pride Month.