The ability to have children and grow your family is something that many people take for granted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 19% of heterosexual woman are diagnosed as infertile, meaning that most heterosexual people do not require assisted reproductive technologies to have children. This is not always the case for members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The genetic material required to procreate is derived from the merging of an egg and a sperm, which can put many same sex couples, single people, and transgender people at a disadvantage to having children. Adoption has traditionally been the best option; however, prejudice and legal barriers can make adopting a child even more difficult for hopeful LGBTQ+ parents. For these reasons, and many others, advances in reproductive technology have become significant in expanding reproductive options for LGBTQ+ and single parents.
What Options Are Available to Hopeful LGBTQ+ Parents?
LGBTQ+ parents now have a variety of options that make the journey to parenthood more accessible. Advances in gamete (sperm and egg) freezing, in vitro fertilization (IVF), donor gamete services, and genetic testing have opened the door to hopeful parents from many walks of life to achieve their dream of parenthood.
Modern fertility treatment options provide hopeful parents with the tools to preserve their fertility, utilize donor sperm or eggs and achieve pregnancy through IVF or intrauterine insemination (IUI). Treatments such as reciprocal IVF lets couples directly share the pregnancy experience, and gestational carriers help hopeful parents carry a baby to term.
IVF services also provides parents the option of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), which can help improve the chances of a healthy and successful pregnancy. According to the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, “In a PGT-A group, a total of 37 pregnancies were achieved with only 1 clinical miscarriage, resulting in a delivery rate per transfer of 52.9%. In contrast, a total of 41 pregnancies were obtained in the control group, with 16 miscarriages, and a delivery rate per transfer of 24.2%.”
The path to parenthood is more available to the LGBTQ+ community than ever before.
How Does Care For LGBTQ+ Parents Differ from Heterosexual Parents?
Ideally, there should not be a difference. The premier association for the reproductive technologies, American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) states that, “Programs should treat all requests for assisted reproduction equally without regard to marital status or sexual orientation.”
Compassionate care and high-quality services are the basics for excellent patient care, however many LGBTQ+ parents do not always receive those basics. They find barriers to care and support at some clinics that do not staff an LGBTQ-friendly care team. They also experience limited insurance coverage for reproductive care that discriminates against non-heterosexual couples and single parents.
It can be incredibly important for hopeful LGBTQ+ parents to seek out fertility clinics and specialists who are experienced in serving the LGBTQ+ community. They need to seek out a full-service clinic that offers financial counseling to compensate for the lack of insurance coverage and employs doctors who are allies to the community. Companies like Genetics & IVF Institute have supported the LGBTQ+ community for decades and strive to make sure all of their patients receive the highest standard of care available.
If you’re looking for fertility specialists with a history of personalized care and LGBTQ+ family building, call 703-698-7355 or visit them at GIVFFertility.com. Your parenting journey can begin today.
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