Can women get another woman pregnant

Reciprocal IVF | LGTBQ Families

Reciprocal IVF at a glance

• Reciprocal in vitro fertilization (IVF) for lesbians allows both women to participate in the pregnancy.
• One woman supplies her eggs, retrieved and fertilized by donated sperm in IVF, with the resulting embryo(s) implanted into her partner for pregnancy as a gestational carrier.
• This presents an opportunity for the couple to choose which partner donates the eggs and is the biological mother, and which carries the pregnancy.
• Risks of reciprocal IVF are the same as for regular IVF, though it involves medical procedures for both females as opposed to one woman as in regular IVF.
• Reciprocal IVF involves considerable legal and emotional issues, and we recommend lesbian couples obtain appropriate legal and emotional counseling beforehand.

Reciprocal IVF for lesbian couples

Reciprocal IVF for lesbian couples is when one woman donates her eggs for fertilization and her partner carries the pregnancy. Most of the processes are consistent with any IVF procedure: ovulation induction, egg retrieval, egg fertilization and embryo transfer. The woman who supplies the eggs that become an embryo will be biologically related to the child, and the woman who carries the pregnancy will not be genetically related to the baby.

Lesbian couples can go through egg stimulation/retrieval and embryo transfer during the same cycle. They can also freeze the retrieved eggs for later fertilization and transfer, or go right to fertilization after egg retrieval and freeze a resulting embryo for future transfer.

Other candidates for reciprocal IVF include women who can produce healthy eggs but need another woman to act as their gestational carrier or vice versa. Trans men who froze eggs prior to undergoing their transition are also good candidates.

Benefits of reciprocal IVF for lesbian couples

The biggest benefit of reciprocal IVF for lesbian couples is to enrich their experience building a family. It gives each woman the opportunity to contribute to the conception and birth of the couple’s child.

Lesbian couples have undergone dual reciprocal IVF at the same time, so each woman carried her partner’s child simultaneously. Other couples have undergone the entire process once and then reversed roles to have a second child.

RadioMD “Fertility Talk” Podcasts

Dr. William Ziegler discusses the treatment options for same sex female partners who want to have a baby.

Reciprocal IVF

How the process works

Both partners receive health screenings to determine overall health and assess fertility factors. For some couples, the decision about who donates the eggs and who carries the pregnancy is not an obvious one. Age, reproductive health and other aspects of an individual’s medical history contribute to the success or failure of IVF and the likelihood of a healthy birth. Our fertility specialists work with each couple to evaluate and address such medical issues, as well as the desires of the couple.

Egg retrieval & synchronizing cycles

In reciprocal IVF, eggs are retrieved from the donor through the same process as in a conventional IVF. Various hormone-based drugs are used to grow multiple eggs simultaneously in the ovaries. Our physician retrieves the eggs out of the donating parent’s ovaries using a special needle, guided by a vaginal ultrasound.

In a fresh reciprocal IVF cycle, both partners take medications to synchronize their menstrual cycles. When the women’s menstrual cycles are synchronized, the transition from egg donation to fertilization to embryo implantation can happen within a matter of days. Using frozen eggs or embryos as described above allows for greater flexibility in initiating the transfer.

Fertilization

Donated sperm is used to fertilize the donated eggs in the IVF process. The couple can choose an anonymous donor, a friend or a family member to donate sperm. Using high-quality sperm without inherent fertility or motility problems increases the likelihood of success.

The fertilized eggs, or embryos, are cultured in the laboratory until they develop to the blastocyst stage, which is usually five days after fertilization. Using embryos at this stage reduces the risk of multiple births while also increasing the odds of a successful pregnancy.

PGT & implantation

At this point, the lesbian couple can utilize preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) in reciprocal IVF. This tests the embryo(s) for the correct number of chromosomes, which maximizes implantation, decreases miscarriage and minimizes the risk of a child with a genetic mutation. Only a genetically healthy embryo(s) will be implanted for pregnancy.

Whether or not PGT is utilized, in most cases, the embryo is transferred to the recipient’s uterus through the cervix via a soft catheter. The procedure does not usually require anesthesia.

Risks and other considerations of reciprocal IVF

The health risks of reciprocal IVF are similar to those of conventional IVF. Medications used to mature eggs for harvesting can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and other temporary side effects in some women, secondarily to increasing hormone levels and maturation of multiple eggs.

Lesbian couples should consider the legal rights their state grants them with regard to children and their partner’s medical care. For example, the woman who donates the egg may need to legally adopt her biological child in order to have the same parental rights as the woman who carries the pregnancy. Death or divorce also bring legal issues for parents.

An attorney experienced in IVF law in the couple’s state of residence, especially as it concerns same-sex couples, can help guide the conversation and establish legal agreements that protect both the parents and children.

Can a Girl Get Pregnant by Another Girl?

Conceiving a baby can happen in many ways — planned, unplanned, through intercourse, in a fertility clinic… the truth is there’s more than one way for a pregnancy to begin. But one constant in all those ways is that a sperm fertilizes an egg.

So what happens neither partner produces sperm? Curious about how that works, exactly?

Well, it can work, but there are a few more steps to get from point A to point B. Here are answers to all your questions about whether pregnancy is possible between two people with uteruses, as well as the various routes a lesbian couple can take to achieve pregnancy.

The short answer to this question is no, not through sexual intercourse. Two cisgender women (meaning assigned female at birth) in a relationship cannot become pregnant without some form of assisted reproductive technology (ART).

The reasoning goes back to basic biology and how an embryo is formed. To create an embryo, a sperm cell and egg cell must meet in some way.

This can happen through penis-in-vagina sex, where the sperm swim up the vaginal canal, make their way up the fallopian tubes, and find an egg waiting after ovulation.

This can also happen through other routes, like intrauterine insemination (IUI), where sperm is introduced into the uterus through a tube inserted through the cervix, or in vitro fertilization (IVF), where sperm is directly injected into the egg in a lab setting and transferred to the uterus at a later time.

The bottom line is that you need both sperm and eggs to make an embryo. Just one of each will do, but pregnancy cannot happen without both in the mix.

Side note: Even if two people cannot create a baby together, they can still share other things, like sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It’s a good idea to have sex with an appropriate barrier method whether or not pregnancy is a consideration.

The exception

Again, if both partners have a uterus, fallopian tubes, and eggs, there will be no sperm to enter into the equation without a donor. However, some people who identify as women may produce sperm.

If two women want to make a baby and one is cisgender and one is transgender (meaning they were assigned male at birth), there are several ways their sperm and eggs might meet, including through penetrative intercourse or ART.

There’s really no right or wrong way to go about making a family. The option a couple chooses to build their family might be influenced by cost, availability, and personal preference.

One person may have a desire to be a biological parent — while another may not. One person may have a desire to be pregnant — while another may not.

One partner may choose to carry the pregnancy using their own egg or, alternatively, their partner’s egg, depending on personal preferences. Or a couple might opt to use a surrogate or adopt a child.

Below is some more information on the available options when a pregnancy is desired.

Donor sperm

As previously noted, sperm is a necessary part of the baby-making equation. Donor sperm can be acquired from a donor bank or even a friend or family member (a partner’s brother, for example).

When selecting a sperm donor, you may look for someone with similarities to you or your partner. Or not. It’s really up to you.

If you chose a donor through a clinic, you’ll generally be given a catalog with information about the donor’s cultural and ethnic background, along with other details to help with your selection.

Your donor may choose to remain anonymous or have an “open identity” (open ID), which means they agree to having contact with any children after they turn 18 years old.

According to the Seattle Sperm Bank, a single vial of sperm may cost anywhere between $490 and 995 depending on where you purchase it. And shipping costs can be quite steep ($150 and up) when you consider the swimmers need to be kept cold before usage.

If two people with uteruses in a relationship wish to use donor sperm, one (or both, if additional children are desired) may opt to carry a pregnancy. There are a few ways that the donor sperm can be used in order to achieve pregnancy, including insemination and in vitro fertilization.

Insemination

Artificial insemination allows couples to become pregnant by introducing sperm into the uterus without penis-in-vagina sex. Once you have secured your sperm, you may choose to inseminate in a clinic or at home.

There are a few types of insemination:

• intracervical insemination (ICI), which involves putting sperm into the vagina, near the cervix, similar to what would happen with intercourse
• intrauterine insemination (IUI), which involves putting sperm directly into the uterus by using a tube that goes through the cervix

Because of the nature of an IUI, it’s typically performed in a clinic, while an ICI can safely happen both at home or in a clinic.

At-home insemination

Some couples prefer the less clinical aspect of trying for a pregnancy in the comfort of their own home. You can work with a clinic for some aspects of the process (like finding sperm or supplies) or opt to go it on your own.

There are also insemination kits you can purchase that include everything you’ll need and even more specific instructions. The overall cost will depend upon the source for your sperm and other supplies, but this is typically the most affordable option.

Clinic insemination

If you’d rather let the professionals take the wheel, you can also head to your doctor for an ICI or IUI. The cost of IUI will be higher than doing things at home (Planned Parenthood estimates the cost at $300 to $1,000 per cycle), but your insurance may cover some of the bill.

One older study revealed that lesbian couples had a 57 percent success rate with getting pregnant using IUI.

In vitro fertilization (IVF)

IVF is an option if one partner wants to be pregnant using the other partner’s egg (reciprocal IVF) or even a donor egg. This procedure can also be used if a transgender partner had sperm previously frozen.

IVF may be a good method to try if you’re experiencing certain fertility issues. It involves fertilizing eggs in the lab and then introducing the resulting embryo(s) directly into the uterus for implantation.

The first step is harvesting eggs from one partner (or a donor) and acquiring sperm from a donor. From there, the eggs are fertilized and you’ll decide with your doctor how many of them to transfer or save for future procedures.

Then the partner who desires to be pregnant (or a gestational carrier) is primed with various medications to prepare for the transfer of the embryo(s) and — hopefully — successful implantation.

This process is the most invasive and the most costly of all options. According to CNY Fertility, the national average cost of a complete IVF cycle is somewhere around $20,000, some of which may or may not be covered by insurance.

Other options

There are additional paths that you might consider based on your (and your partner’s) own needs and fertility status. You may opt to use a surrogate to carry the pregnancy or to build a family through adoption. Each of these options comes with unique costs, emotions, and considerations.

While a girl can’t get another girl pregnant without some assistance, the good news is that lesbian couples have many options for achieving pregnancy. The method you choose has to do with things like your (or your partner’s) desire to have a biological child, your health and fertility history, and your budget.

If you have questions, make an appointment with your doctor or perhaps a specialist at a fertility clinic. And above all else, best of luck as you navigate your own unique path to parenthood!

ROPA technique MOTHERHOOD IN LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSEXUAL COUPLES

Thanks to advanced technology and individually tailored treatments, modern seminal models can achieve pregnancy. For example, the ROPA method allows same-sex female couples to actively participate in the fertilization process. One of them is the genetic mother of the child, and the other is the biological

In vitro fertilization method ROPA (Use of partner eggs) or use of female partner's oocytes is one of the assisted reproduction techniques that allows married women of the same sex marriage to participate in fertilization and pregnancy.

One provides oocytes, which are inseminated with sperm from anonymous donor , while the other receives embryos and carries a child. As a result, after giving prior consent, there is a genetic mother and one who bears a child. nine0003

Conception requires interaction within the female reproductive organs of two germ cells: one female and one male. If, due to gender identity or sexual orientation, this path is unacceptable for a woman, it is necessary to resort to artificial reproduction methods, because sexual orientation and the desire to have offspring should not necessarily be associated with these biological characteristics. nine0003

Today we meet with different types of families whose situations and desires require individual approach in each case, such as pregnancy between two women.

Instituto Bernabeu always takes into account the special needs of each patient and adapts the medical services and fertility treatment to provide a personalized in vitro fertilization procedure.

Under current Spanish law: “A woman may use the methods regulated by this Law, regardless of her marital status and sexual orientation.” Therefore, the law enshrines the right to motherhood for all women, and more importantly, not only because of infertility.

Since 2007, Spanish law has allowed the registration of dual motherhood at the registry office. At the same time, children born using the ROPA method in a female same-sex couple are legally owned by both mothers only if their relationship is officially married. nine0003

If the women are unmarried, then the genetic mother (who did not bear a child) will have to start the process of adoption or adoption in order to be legally registered as a mother in the Civil Registry.

In the case of embryo freezing with the ROPA method (Use of Partner Oocytes), if there is no medical indication for transfer only to the partner who has already received the embryo/s for the first time, the frozen embryos can be transferred to either of them in the subsequent cycle so how women are married and embryos are shared. nine0003

), we offer a new alternative to co-motherhood - the ROPA method with partner egg retrieval.

Currently, although this technique is not mandated by law, one can resort to the ROPA (Reception of Oocytes from PArtner) method, or the use of female partner oocytes, which allows two women of the same sex marriage to participate in insemination and pregnancy. One provides oocytes, which are inseminated with sperm from an anonymous donor, and the other receives embryos to conceive. As a result, after the provision of prior consent, there is a genetic mother and one who bears a child. For this purpose, since 2007, Spanish law has allowed the registration of dual motherhood in the Civil Registry in the case of same-sex marriages. In this regard, children born in Spain using the ROPA method will be the children of two mothers from a legal point of view. nine0003

ROPA is conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) adapted to the reproductive needs of lesbian families. First of all, it is necessary to examine both patients in order to develop an individually tailored treatment method in accordance with their state of health. Then, the ovaries are stimulated to obtain a sufficient number of embryos and thus increase the chances of conceiving a child. At the same time, the recipient partner goes through the process of preparing the uterus for the transfer and implantation of the embryo. As soon as the maturation of oocytes (oocytes) is established, the cells are punctured and aspirated. After that, the egg is fertilized in the laboratory with the donor's sperm from our sperm bank. And then, we culture the embryos under close supervision and do the transfer on the 5th or 6th day. Thus, we manage to transfer embryos to the blastocyst stage, optimizing the chances of pregnancy. The following months of pregnancy will develop like any other pregnancy, allowing both women to enjoy this happiness. nine0003

In addition, epigenetics has shown that environmental factors and the lifestyle of a pregnant woman marks and determines the expression of the genes of the unborn child. Therefore, it is also genetically involved in the development of the child.

Any method of reproductive treatment (IVF, adoption of embryos or ROPA) has an emotional impact. Therefore, to help our patients walk this path, the Instituto Bernabeu offers, on request and at no extra charge, sessions with a psychologist, with which expectant mothers will be prepared for the possible emotions during each stage of the process and pregnancy. nine0003