Single Parent and LGBTQ Family Planning Options

Advancements in fertility treatments have revolutionized how people can start families. This is true for single men and women, and also gay, lesbian, and transgender couples who are hoping to become parents. At New Hope Fertility, we pride ourselves on being compassionate IVF providers who celebrate family in all its forms. We understand the unique hurdles of single-parent and LGBTQ family planning and are committed to helping individuals and couples reach their goals.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the different fertility treatment options available for single individuals and LGBTQ+ couples looking to begin their families.

Single Parent IVF Options

There are many reasons that a person might turn to single-parent IVF to have a child. For both single women and single men—who are increasingly opting to parent without a partner—age can be a motivating factor, as infertility issues significantly increase the older an individual gets.

IVF Options for Single Women

For those women who are single and want to get pregnant, there are a few different options traditionally offered at fertility clinics:

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) – This is the simplest and most cost-effective method for women who don’t have blocked fallopian tubes. Donor sperm, selected from a reputable sperm bank, is placed in a syringe and passed through a catheter and into the uterine cavity, where mother nature takes over.  

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) – When IUI fails to work due to fertility issues, the highly successful process of IVF is the next best option. This treatment, depending on the type of fertility issue, can include:

• IVF with donor sperm
• IVF with donor sperm and donor egg
• IVF with a donated embryo

IVF Options for Single Men

For single men, there are two main avenues to becoming a parent through IVF:

Traditional Surrogate – With traditional surrogacy, a female uses artificial insemination to fertilize her own eggs, then carries the child through pregnancy and delivery. Many fertility experts do not recommend this process due to the complex legal and emotional issues that arise from the child sharing a genetic link with the surrogate mother.

Gestational Carrier – When using a gestational carrier, the single man will choose a donor egg in a similar way that single females select sperm. The father’s sperm is then used to fertilize the egg, and the embryo is transferred into the female gestational carrier, who will carry and deliver the child. In this type of surrogacy, the child’s genes are from the donor egg and the father, not the gestational carrier, which can greatly lessen the legal and emotional issues that make traditional surrogacy so complex.

LGBTQ Options to Get Pregnant

LGBTQ+ individuals may wonder: “How can same-sex couples have a baby?” The answer is that when it comes to a gay couple’s baby options, the type of fertility treatment can differ depending on individual circumstances and preferences.

Female Couples – For same-sex female couples, IUI and IVF are both common treatment options, particularly reciprocal IVF, in which one partner provides the eggs, which are fertilized with donor sperm and then transplanted into the other partner’s uterus, allowing both partners to participate in the conception process. 

Male Couples – Much like for single male fathers, surrogacy, specifically a gestational carrier, is the recommended option for having a child. Typically, the surrogate mother is inseminated with one partner’s sperm, although donor sperm can be used as well.

Transgender Couples – There are different options depending on whether the individual has undergone hormone therapy or gender-confirmation surgery. However, the same options for having a baby listed above are still available in many cases.