Now that you and your partner are ready for the next step into family life, you may want to try to find fertility specialists and clinics. Look for referrals, do your research, and examine success rates. Finding the right people and facilities to get you started on this journey is vital for your physical and psychological well-being.
Before going to the first consultation, you may have already decided on whose eggs to use and who will carry the pregnancy. Still, the best thing to do is allow the medical professionals to check both of you so they can explain all aspects of your fertility. Likewise, enable fertility doctors to clarify your options and the risks.
The Primary Treatment Options
There are two options for same-sex female couples. Before these treatments, the one who will provide the eggs might need to take medications. This is required to boost egg production. Normally, a woman produces only one egg a month. However, these drugs tell the ovaries to make more. Constant monitoring is then required for the procedures to begin.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
The first is a straightforward procedure called intrauterine insemination. This is a kind of artificial insemination. Donor sperm is “washed” and concentrated. It is positioned directly into the uterus while the ovaries naturally launch eggs to be fertilized.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
The second option is in vitro fertilization, a medical procedure where donor sperm fertilizes the egg in a laboratory setting. Before this can happen, one has to go through ovarian stimulation. Surgically, the eggs are retrieved while you are sedated. Insemination is done on the same day.
After the fertilization of the egg, the embryo is monitored carefully. This then determines when the doctor can transfer it to the uterus. Click here to learn more about IVF.
Suppose a partner wants her eggs used but will not carry the pregnancy. In that case, she needs to go through the surgical egg retrieval process. The inseminated eggs, once mature, will then be placed in the uterus of the partner, who will carry and give birth to the baby.
The Treatment Process
After you choose which partner will carry the pregnancy, she will then proceed with a fertility workup that includes blood work to test hormone levels and to know the health of the uterus and fallopian tubes. You can select a sperm donor to attain the pregnancy if all is good.
Regarding IVF, which requires one partner as the egg donor and the other as the carrier, both will need the workup and medicines. You may search online for “IVF clinic York” if you need further explanation.
Most couples choose sperm donation from family or a friend. You may therefore ask your doctor what the procedure is for donating sperm. The sperm may need to be evaluated and quarantined before being processed.
The Takeaway
Beginning the fertility treatments as a couple will take hard work and require steady support from each other. Search for the best facility and specialists to get you through this exciting journey. Learn and try to understand what will take place throughout the process to prepare both of you in mind, body, and spirit.
