Reciprocal IVF for Lesbian Couples

Today, there are many available paths to parenthood for LGBTQ+ couples, and one of the more innovative paths is reciprocal in vitro fertilization (IVF) for lesbian couples. This approach allows both partners to have a biological connection to their child and is one of the most in-demand procedures.

Reproductive Health & Wellness Center is proud to offer reciprocal IVF as one of our many options for LGBTQ+ patients. Read on to learn whether this path is right for you. 

What is Reciprocal IVF for Lesbian Couples?

With reciprocal IVF, one partner donates eggs and the other partner carries the pregnancy, allowing both partners to biologically play a role in creating their child.

How Does Reciprocal IVF Work?

The Consultation

As with other fertility treatments, the first step in reciprocal IVF is to choose the best fertility clinic for your needs, and then schedule a consultation with their fertility specialist. 

During this appointment at Reproductive Health and Wellness Center, Dr. Marcus Rosencrantz will talk to you and your partner about your medical history and may recommend running tests to ensure you’re both good candidates for reciprocal IVF. If you or your partner have any concerns about your ability to carry a pregnancy or undergo egg retrieval, we’ll discuss those, and come up with a treatment plan together.

Choose a Sperm Donor

Next, you and your partner will need to choose a sperm donor and order sperm so it’s ready as you proceed with the process. Our fertility specialist, Marcus Rosencrantz, will also help connect you with a qualified sperm donor agency. 

Undergo Egg Retrieval

Once you’ve chosen your sperm donor, the next step is starting the egg retrieval process for the partner contributing the eggs. Medication will stimulate the ovaries to mature multiple eggs at the same time, and when the eggs are ready, we’ll schedule a simple outpatient procedure for retrieval. After retrieval, the eggs are fertilized with the donor sperm. If all goes well with this process, the result will be multiple healthy embryos.

Testing and Transfer

What happens next depends on what you’ve planned with your partner. Some couples choose to take medication to sync cycles so that an embryo transfer can be done soon after egg retrieval. Others choose to freeze the embryos so they can be transferred later when the uterus is naturally ready for implantation. Many couples also choose to have genetic testing done on their embryos prior to transfer. 

Follow Up

Once your embryos have been transferred, you’ll need to wait about two weeks to see if the implantation was successful. At that time, we’ll do a blood test to see if your hCG (pregnancy) hormone levels are increasing. If they are, we’ll do another test a few days later to confirm your levels are still rising. After two positive blood tests, our fertility specialist, Marcus Rosencrantz, will follow up with an ultrasound to check for fetal development. Hopefully, we’ll see a tiny fetus beginning to develop, and you’re officially pregnant! 

After pregnancy is confirmed, Dr. Marcus Rosencrantz will continue to follow you closely for about 10 weeks. If everything is progressing normally, you’ll be transferred to your regular OB/GYN. 

What Happens If We Don’t Get Pregnant Right Away?

It’s not uncommon for couples to need more than one round of IVF. So there’s no reason to lose hope if you don’t get pregnant right away. You may need to repeat the process, and if you were able to freeze multiple embryos after egg retrieval, you’ll be able to continue trying with those embryos. 

How long to try IVF is always a personal choice between you and your partner. After several unsuccessful attempts, some partners choose to switch roles and try reciprocal IVF again. Others instead opt for donor eggs or surrogacy. 

At Reproductive Health and Wellness Center, we understand that fertility treatments can be both emotionally and financially taxing, and we always recommend taking advantage of our fertility counseling services and speaking with our fertility finance specialist to help you through the decision-making process.

What Factors Should We Consider Before Trying Reciprocal IVF?

Undergoing reciprocal IVF (or any fertility treatment!) is a big decision with important factors to discuss. First, you’ll need to choose the best fertility clinic for your treatment. Then, you’ll need to decide who’ll donate eggs, who’ll carry the pregnancy, and how you will support each other through these stages. Many couples also find that these decisions, along with what to tell family and friends, carry more emotional weight than they first realized. It’s important to talk to your partner and make sure you’re on the same page before undergoing reciprocal IVF.

You should also discuss what you’ll do with your remaining embryos prior to beginning the reciprocal IVF process. Will you freeze your embryos for future pregnancies? Will you donate them to other couples? Or would you prefer to have them destroyed? 

When it comes to finances, most insurance companies don’t cover reciprocal IVF or may only cover parts of the procedure. We’ll help you maximize your insurance benefits and explore financing options to make fertility treatment more accessible. 

Begin Your Reciprocal IVF Journey

Many lesbian couples choose reciprocal IVF because it allows both partners to have a biological connection to their children. 

If you and your partner would like to begin your reciprocal IVF journey or simply want to explore your options for building a family with the best fertility clinic, we encourage you to schedule a consultation to speak with our fertility specialist, Dr. Marcus Rosencrantz. We’ll help you choose the family-building option that’s right for you.