Family Building for Gay Men

Successful Family Building Starts Here

The path to parenthood for gay men most often requires the involvement of a surrogate or gestational carrier and an egg donor. This necessitates the need for in vitro fertilization (IVF). RMACT works with you to develop a customized treatment plan to meet your needsand to make sure you are educated and comfortable each step along the way.

Finding a surrogate or gestational carrier is something you will explore with RMACT’s GayParentsToBe Team. Your surrogate or gestational carrier will have no genetic link to the baby that they will carry for you. Still, she will need to be screened for reproductive and psychological health and infectious disease. There are at least two options for finding a surrogate/carrier; using an agency or using a Known Carrier (family member or friend).

You have several options for finding an egg donor, including the RMACT anonymous donor pool, working with an agency or egg bank, or securing a frozen embryo. Egg donors are screened for reproductive health, genetic conditions and/or diseases , psychological health and infectious disease.

If you or your partner choose to be the genetic father (sperm donor), you will need to have a physical exam completed by your physician and a series of blood work. We will also work with you to choose an agency for a gestational carrier who is also screened for reproductive and psychological health.

Once you are matched with a donor and carrier, the eggs have been successfully retrieved and an embryo has been formed, it will then be transferred into the carrier’s uterus. Pregnancy can be detected 11 to 12 days after transfer. To learn more about this procedure, click here.

What Are My Family Building Treatment Options?

You have several options for finding an egg donor, including the RMACT donor pool, working with an agency or egg bank, or securing a frozen embryo. Egg donors are screened for reproductive health, genetic markers, psychological health and infectious disease.

If you or your partner choose to be the genetic father (sperm donor), you will need to have a physical exam completed by your physician within six months of retrieval and blood work within seven days of retrieval. We will also work with you to choose an agency for a gestational carrier who is also screened for reproductive and psychological health.

Once you are matched with a donor and carrier, the eggs have been retrieved and an embryo has been formed, it will then be transferred into the carrier’s uterus. Pregnancy can be detected 11 to 12 days after transfer. To learn more about this procedure, click here.

What type of support does RMACT offer same-sex couples?

RMACT created GayParentsToBe.com where you can find answers to your questions about building a family with your partner. GayParentsToBe has many resources specifically created for your growing family as well as regularly added educational content

You can also visit the Third Party Reproduction drop in support group. This group is free of charge and welcomes patients in all stages of the process—from thinking about moving forward using an egg and/or sperm donor to choosing a donor to beginning your cycle and finally, parenting.