The desire to have a family is a human one, and isn't dependent on gender,
sexual orientation or lifestyle. At Penn Fertility Care - Lancaster General
Health, our inclusive and comprehensive LGBTQ+ family-building services help
gay, lesbian and transgender individuals and couples achieve their dreams of
parenthood.
LGBTQ+ Health Care Equality Leader
Penn Medicine, including Lancaster General Health, is recognized by the Human
Rights Campaign Foundation for its dedication to LGBTQ+ inclusion. This honor
illustrates our longstanding commitment to providing respectful, compassionate
and equitable health care to all.
The fertility care team at Lancaster General Health is proud to participate in
the Penn Medicine LGBTQ Health Program, launched in 2013 to enhance the
standard of care for LGBTQ+ individuals. But what we find even more rewarding
is the day-to-day work we do with our patients and our involvement in LGBTQ
community advocacy right here in Lancaster.
Fertility Options for Female-Only Couples: IUI, Reciprocal IVF & More
There are many things to consider for same-sex female couples who are ready to
have a child. For example:
- Who will carry the pregnancy?
- Do both partners want to carry a pregnancy at some point?
- Whose eggs will you use?
- Will you use anonymous donor sperm, or do you have a known donor?
We help you define your reproductive goals and build a fertility plan that
works for both of you. At our state-of-the-art LGBTQ+ fertility clinic, we
offer:
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Intrauterine insemination (IUI): You choose donor sperm that we wash and
prepare for insemination. At the optimal time for conception, we use a
catheter to place washed sperm directly into your uterus. IUI is often the
first fertility treatment we recommend for female-only couples. We store
frozen sperm in our on-site embryology lab, so it's ready if you need more
than one IUI treatment.
-
Traditional and reciprocal in vitro fertilization (IVF): During IVF, we
fertilize your eggs with donor sperm in our lab and grow an embryo that we
transfer into your uterus. Or you may choose reciprocal IVF (also known as
co-IVF, or partner-assisted reproduction), which means one partner donates
her eggs and the other partner carries the pregnancy. We also store frozen
eggs and embryos in our lab for future IVF cycles.
Fertility Options for Male-Only Couples
Fatherhood is a big decision and one that takes a lot of planning. We work
with same-sex male couples to help them decide how they want to build their
biological family. Our fertility specialists help you determine:
- Whose sperm will you use?
- Who will carry the pregnancy?
- Whose eggs will you use?
Your options for family building include:
-
Gestational carrier: A gestational carrier is someone who carries a
pregnancy and delivers the baby, but has no genetic link to the baby. We
fertilize donor eggs with your sperm and then transfer the embryo to the
carrier's uterus. This is the most common type of surrogacy.
-
Traditional surrogate: A gestational surrogate is someone who carries a
pregnancy, delivers the baby and also has a genetic link to the baby. You
would use your sperm and the surrogate's eggs. You may choose to do IUI or
IVF in this scenario. Traditional surrogacy isn't common, due to its many
legal complexities.
Fertility Options for Transgender Individuals
If you're a transgender individual who knows your plan for the future includes
children, you may want to consider fertility preservation. We offer egg
freezing for transgender men (people transitioning from female to male) and
sperm freezing for transgender women (people transitioning from male to
female). We strongly suggest you think about fertility preservation before you
begin hormone therapy for your transition, as this affects fertility.
We freeze eggs and sperm in our on-site state-of-the-art embryology lab using
an advanced technique called vitrification. This rapid freezing method
prevents the formation of ice crystals on the specimen, which greatly reduces
the risk of sperm or egg damage during the freeze-thaw cycle.
Make an Appointment
Call 717-544-0107 or request an appointment to schedule your fertility
consultation.