Male Couples
"All babies contain a soul however they come to this earth and their families. There is nothing synthetic about a soul!! So how can we dismiss IVF and surrogacy? Every soul comes to us to teach us a lesson. God has his hand in everything even technology! We are arrogant to think Man does anything on his own. As above so below!"
~ Madonna
The desire to have children is gender-blind. Women are often referred to as having “biological clocks”. But what about men? At Conceive Fertility Center, we believe in the right of men to create families no matter what their social situation. Whether you are a single man or two men in a same-sex relationship, your desire to raise a child is equally real and equally valid. There are some hoops to jump through first, however...
There are two significant things you’re going to need: a source of eggs (i.e. an egg donor) and a separate woman to carry the pregnancy (i.e. gestational carrier).
If you are a same-sex male couple, you can decide if one or both of you will be using your sperm to create embryos. If both men are using their sperm, then the embryos created would be kept separate so that each has the opportunity to be the biological father. These embryo(s) will eventually be going into the uterus of the gestational carrier. Therefore, each man who is contributing sperm needs to be screened just as the egg donors are screened. This screening process will involve a questionnaire, physical exam, psychological exam, and infectious disease screening. In this situation, the men are referred to as the “intended parents” or the couple that will be raising the child or children. The physicians at CFC do not offer legal advice but can refer you to qualified attorneys. In addition, we have no control over the financial compensation given to the egg donor, the egg donor agency, the gestational carrier, legal counsel, and any other involved agency.
The egg donor can be either known or anonymous. A known egg donor is typically a friend or relative of the patient who has generously volunteered to give away some of her eggs. An anonymous egg donor is typically found through an egg donor agency. Regardless of circumstances, all egg donors go through the same strict screening process: questionnaire, physical exam, psychological exam, and infectious disease screening. The best success rates for egg donor IVF are found with the younger egg donors (age 30 or less). Her ovarian reserve is tested to ascertain if she has an adequate amount of eggs to be a successful egg donor. Egg donors are typically compensated financially for their time and effort. The embryos created from the IVF cycle can be further tested with preimplantation genetic screening (see separate section on PGS). The embryos are then frozen and stored for future use.
A gestational carrier (or gestational surrogate) is a woman who bears a child who is genetically unrelated to herself for an individual or couple who intends to raise the child and be their legal parent(s). The intended parents contract with the gestational carrier and, in this situation, would be the source of the sperm. An agreed upon number of embryos are then thawed and transferred to the uterus of the gestational carrier. The gestational carrier undergoes testing to determine that her uterine cavity is healthy. She then needs to have her uterus primed with hormones prior to the embryo transfer.
With third party reproduction, we follow the recommendations of ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) that require psychological evaluation and counseling for all parties involved (intended parent(s), egg donor, gestational carrier). In addition, both the intended parent(s) and the gestational carrier should have separate legal counsel with attorneys that are familiar with reproductive law. It is mandatory that the gestational carrier consult with a lawyer to learn about her legal rights and responsibilities. In addition a contractual agreement between the intended parents and the gestational carrier must be in place before the treatment is begun.
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