Now that you and your partner are ready for the next step into family life, you may want to try to find fertility doctors and clinics. Look for referrals, do your research, and examine success rates. Finding the right people and facilities to get you started on this journey is vital for your physical and mental well-being.
Before going to the first consultation, you may have already chosen whose eggs to use, and who will carry the pregnancy. Still, the best thing to do is allow the doctors to check both of you so they can discuss all aspects of your fertility. Likewise, make it possible for fertility doctors to discuss your alternatives and the risks.
The Primary Treatment Options
There are two options for same-sex female couples. Before these treatments, the one who will provide the eggs might need to take medicines. This is needed to increase egg production. Normally, a woman produces only one egg a month, but these drugs tell the ovaries to make more. Constant monitoring is then needed for the process to begin.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
The first is a straightforward procedure called intrauterine insemination. This is a kind of artificial insemination. Donor sperm is “washed” and concentrated. Then it is placed directly into the uterus while the ovaries naturally release eggs to be fertilized. If you want details, don’t hesitate to look for a website of a fertility clinic. You may read and even ask questions from their representatives.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
The second alternative is in vitro fertilization, a medical procedure where donor sperm fertilizes the egg in a laboratory setting. However, before this can happen, one needs to go through ovarian stimulation. Then, surgically, the eggs are retrieved while you are sedated. Insemination is performed on the same day.
After the fertilization of the egg, the embryo is observed carefully. This then determines when it can be transferred to the uterus. Fresh or frozen embryo transfer can be performed.
Suppose a partner wants her eggs used but will not carry the pregnancy. In that case, she needs to go through the surgical egg retrieval process. The inseminated eggs, once mature, will then be placed in the uterus of the partner, who will carry and give birth to the baby.
The Treatment Process
After you decide which partner will carry the pregnancy, she will then proceed with a fertility workup that includes blood work to test hormone levels and to know the health of the uterus and fallopian tubes. You can select a sperm donor to achieve the pregnancy if all is good.
When it comes to IVF, which calls for one partner as the egg donor and the other as the carrier, both will need the workup and medicines.
Most couples choose sperm donation from family or a good friend. You may therefore ask your doctor what the procedure is for donating sperm. The sperm might need to be evaluated and quarantined before being processed.
The Takeaway
Beginning the fertility treatments as a couple will take hard work and will require constant support from each other. Take time to find the best facility and experts to get you through this exciting journey. Learn and try to understand what will happen throughout the process to prepare both of you in mind, body, and spirit.