Life is a beautiful thing, and building a family is one of the greatest experiences life brings. Anyone that wishes to grow a family should be given the chance to. At PFCLA, we welcome and embrace members of the LGBTQIA+ community looking to embark on the path to parenthood.
As reproductive medicine and fertility options become more advanced, the dream to have a child is even more accessible than before. Reciprocal IVF is a great family-building option for those in the LGBTQIA+ community. In this article, we will cover how reciprocal IVF works, its success rate, costs, how to decide who provides eggs and who will carry the baby to term, and alternative options.
Reciprocal IVF (in vitro fertilization) is a fertility treatment option for same-sex female couples that allows both partners to be intimately involved in the child creation process. Reciprocal IVF allows both individuals to play an intimate role in the biological development of the baby. What differentiates this treatment from traditional IVF is that one partner serves as an egg donor, while the other partner serves as a gestational carrier and carries the baby to term. The partner who provides the eggs is genetically related to the child, and the partner who carries the baby is biologically bonded to the child through pregnancy.
In this LBGTQ+ fertility treatment, one partner provides the eggs while the other partner carries the baby to term. This is a great solution for many couples because it allows both women to be physically involved in the pregnancy, which can facilitate feelings of emotional connection and direct involvement in the pregnancy.
The partners will need to select a sperm donor to start; either an anonymous donor from a sperm bank or someone known to them. The partner donating the eggs goes through the ovarian stimulation process to produce multiple eggs. The eggs are then retrieved from her ovaries and fertilized with the donor sperm in our IVF laboratory. The embryos that are created will be frozen and later transferred to the other partner when she is hormonally prepared at a later date. When the embryos are ready, an agreed-upon number is transferred to her uterus.
If neither of the partners has fertility issues, either one can choose to be the egg donor or gestational carrier. The process is the same as a regular IVF cycle, but it is divided between two women. Sometimes partners who do not have fertility issues and have had a child with Reciprocal IVF will reverse their donor and carrier roles for a second child, so that each has a biological relationship with one of the children, and each gets to experience pregnancy and childbirth.
It is the couple's choice to decide which partner will donate the egg and which partner will carry the pregnancy. Age is an important consideration. Women under the age of 35 tend to have healthier eggs and better IVF success rates. If there is an age difference, your IVF physician will likely recommend that the younger partner provide the egg. If one partner struggles with infertility, then she is probably not the ideal egg donor. However, she could still be perfectly capable of carrying the pregnancy.
Understanding how Reciprocal IVF works is straightforward. Consider it as a conventional IVF cycle divided into two parts. One woman provides her genetic material by donating an egg, while the other does not share a genetic connection with the child. Instead, she establishes a maternal bond by carrying her partner's fertilized egg to term. The egg is fertilized with donor sperm to create a viable embryo.
The first step of Reciprocal IVF involves reviewing medical history and undergoing a specific ultrasound and a panel of blood testing. For the partner who will provide eggs: she will go through a transvaginal ultrasound to check the ovaries and AFC (antral follicles count) and a blood test panel which will include hormonal levels including AMH (Anti-Müllerian hormone), where the results will help the IVF physician to decide the protocol of the medications. She will then take fertility medication to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once the follicles containing the eggs are mature, the IVF physician will perform an egg retrieval procedure using ultrasound guidance.
Then the other partner will also go through an ultrasound to check the uterus and a panel of blood tests. If the physician finds no issues during the screening process, then hormone treatments will be given to the child-bearing partner to prepare her uterus to carry the pregnancy to term.
Cycles can be synchronized by using fertility medications or to time everything accordingly.
The provided eggs will be fertilized with donor sperm by an embryologist in a fertility lab. Once the eggs have successfully fertilized, the couple will then have embryos. These embryos are then frozen and later transferred to the partner who will carry the pregnancy.
Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) is a crucial step in the reciprocal IVF process that can greatly impact the success of the treatment. PGT involves testing embryos for genetic abnormalities before implantation, ensuring that only healthy embryos are transferred to the uterus. Embryo selection is done with the guidance of an embryologist, identifying embryo grading through development.
This testing can help reduce the risk of miscarriage and increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. By identifying chromosomal abnormalities early on, PGT allows couples to make informed decisions about which embryos to transfer, ultimately improving their chances of achieving a healthy pregnancy.
The success rates of Reciprocal IVF are similar to the success rates of standard IVF cases, but with each case comes unique challenges. The success rates of Reciprocal IVF can be affected by the age of the egg source, the quality of the donor sperm, uterus condition, general fitness, and lifestyle. It is not always successful on the first attempt. In some cases, it will need multiple cycles to achieve a healthy pregnancy.
The average cost for Reciprocal IVF is typically over $20,000, this cost can vary depending on medication protocols, sperm donor cost, and add-on services such as ICSI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and PGT-A (preimplantation genetic testing). ICSI is when a single sperm cell is individually injected into an egg, instead of placing the sperm in a petri dish with eggs and hoping a few of the eggs will become fertilized. This method can be used to increase the fertilization rate. PGT-A is the testing of identifying each selected embryo’s number of chromosomes present. Abnormal chromosome numbers, also known as aneuploidy, are a significant source of challenges in pregnancy and birth. Having PGT-A testing done on your embryos can increase your success rate.
Make sure to contact your insurance provider to see if you have fertility treatment coverage. In some fertility clinics, you can find financing options to help relieve the financial burden of fertility treatment costs.
When considering the risks and considerations of reciprocal IVF, it is important to remember that this fertility treatment option comes with its own set of challenges. While the process allows both partners to be intimately involved in the child creation process, factors such as the age of the egg source, the quality of the donor sperm, and the general health and lifestyle of the individuals involved can impact the success rates. Additionally, the financial cost of reciprocal IVF can be substantial, with the average cost typically exceeding $20,000. However, with the advancements in reproductive medicine and the support of a reputable fertility clinic, same-sex female couples can navigate these risks and considerations to achieve their dream of starting a family through reciprocal IVF.
There are several options available for same-sex female couples who want to have a baby. When choosing a fertility clinic for Reciprocal IVF, it is crucial to consider factors such as success rates, costs, and the level of support provided. Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles (PFCLA) is a reputable clinic known for its expertise in LGBTQ+ family-building options, including Reciprocal IVF. With a team of experienced fertility specialists, PFCLA offers personalized care and guidance throughout the entire process, from selecting a sperm donor to embryo transfer. PFCLA's state-of-the-art facilities and advanced technologies, such as AI Embryo Monitoring, can help increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.