6 April 2022
 Categories: , Blog

If you are in a same-gender relationship and desire children, you may wonder what your options are. Fortunately, there are many! The obstetric care for your specific circumstances will depend on your personal desires, abilities, and preferences. To give you an idea of what your options may be, here are a few situations that may be able to help you and your partner have a baby. 

Gay Couples

The main options for gay couples are surrogacy and adoption. Surrogacy is when a woman carries a baby for another couple. You or your partner (or both) can give a sperm sample and potentially become the father of the baby. The egg that you use could be a donor egg or the egg of the surrogate. Some people use a surrogate that they know, while others hire a surrogate. Adoptions are also extremely popular among gay couples. With so many children in this world who need good parents, a little one would be so lucky to have you. 

Lesbian Couples

Lesbian couples have a few more options than gay couples because they have the ability to carry their own baby. They will need a sperm donor, but the actual gestation of the baby will be done in one of the mother's bodies. Lesbian couples can get pregnant via intrauterine insemination (the sperm is implanted directly into the mother's uterus), in vitro fertilization (the sperm is implanted directly into the egg), or even reciprocal fertilization (one partner's egg is implanted into the mother's uterus). Good obstetric care is essential for each of these options, and you may even need to see a specialist. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a common procedure, so a general ob/GYN may be able to help you with that if you are fertile enough. 

Trans Couples

Couples where one or both partners are transgender could potentially use a variety of these options to have a child. If both partners are transgender they could get pregnant through penis-in-vagina (PIV) sex, though the trans man would then have to carry the baby which could bring emotional challenges. Talk to your doctor about potential options for your circumstances. 

In conclusion, if you are in a same or similar gender relationship you will need to be creative in order to have a child, but the experience of raising a little one is so worth it. If you are unsure of where to start, talk to a fertility specialist, obstetric care expert, or family planning counselor.