At least 4.3% of adults in the United States population identify as LGBTQ. Modern reproductive technology means an LGBTQ couple has incredible options when they decide to add to their family.

Here at California Center for Reproductive Health, in Encino, Valencia, or West Hollywood, California, we help you achieve parenthood in a way that works with your relationship status and identity.

Our reproductive specialists offer numerous options so you can find the right choice for you. Learn your options and what to consider when starting your family planning process.

Initial consultation

At your initial consultation, our specialists at California Center for Reproductive Health meet with you to discuss both partners’ medical histories and potential treatments.

These potential treatments include:

• In vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Intrauterine insemination
• Sperm or egg donation
• Surrogacy

During your consultation, we can also order fertility tests for females and for male factor infertility. We’ll ask if it’s important to you to use a family member for sperm or egg donation or if you’d rather use an anonymous donor.

We can also help you navigate legal and financial matters associated with reproductive technology in a timely and considerate way.

All-female couples

Choices for pregnancy include intrauterine insemination, egg donation, and IVF.

The partner who is carrying the baby undergoes blood work to test hormone levels and a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) to evaluate the health of reproductive organs, including the uterus and fallopian tubes.

A female couple also needs to decide how to obtain donor sperm. You may choose a loved one or friend or opt for anonymous donation from a sperm bank. We guide you through this process, whatever your choice is.

Intrauterine insemination places the donor sperm into the intended mother’s uterus using a small catheter that passes through the cervix.

If you go the route of IVF, you may decide that one partner contributes the egg while the other partner carries the pregnancy. Partners sometimes take turns when more than one pregnancy is planned. You may also opt for a donor egg or a surrogate, depending on medical issues.

During IVF, the donor sperm and egg are united in a laboratory to create a viable embryo. The embryo is then placed in the uterus of the partner who is going to carry the baby.

All-male couples

All-male couples who add to their families use in vitro fertilization, egg donation, and surrogacy.

Usually, the partners decide together who will provide the sperm. You can also elect to have both partners provide sperm for the IVF procedure and allow us to select the most viable embryo, regardless of the donor.

We have a comprehensive egg donation program in which we review and screen each donor carefully. You can review the egg donors we offer or choose a relative or friend to potentially donate her eggs. This potential donor will have to go through a special screening process, however, to ensure she has optimal hormone levels and is free of infection.

The team at California Center for Reproductive Health also helps you arrange an appropriate surrogate – a woman who carries the baby to term. Of course, you may have a preselected surrogate, and we can help you with contracts and screening her health.

Once you’ve selected all the participants in your pregnancy, the IVF procedure begins. Sperm and egg come together in a lab to create an embryo, which is then placed in the surrogate’s uterus.

At California Center for Reproductive Health, we want families of all types to enjoy parenthood. Call one of our offices or use the online tool to set up a consultation to learn more about LGBTQ reproductive options.

Determining the gender of your baby is the topic of baby shower games and old wives tales. Parents don’t have to wait very long to find out their baby’s gender anymore. Prenatal blood testing can reveal your baby’s sex at 11 weeks gestation.

Some parents don’t want to wait that long or leave biological gender to chance. They desire to determine the baby’s gender at the time of conception. With advancements in reproductive technology, it’s entirely possible to choose your baby’s gender.

At California Center for Reproductive Health, our specialists help parents who want to select their baby’s gender for medical or personal reasons. Here’s how the process of gender selection works.

Reasons for gender selection

Many parents look forward to the 20-week (or so) ultrasound at which gender can be determined. Others wait until delivery day to get the ultimate surprise.

But, many parents don’t joyfully anticipate this surprise. Choosing a baby’s biological gender allows parents to enjoy knowing the sex of their baby long before delivery day.

Parents may want to select their baby’s gender to:

• Determine the biological gender of their only or firstborn child
• Have ample time to prepare for baby
• Balance the sexes of children in the family
• Eliminate the chance of sex-linked diseases

Talk to our team about your family goals to determine if gender selection is right for you.

Methods of gender selection

Our team offers two methods of gender selection. Each type varies in accuracy.

Ericksson sperm washing

Ericksson sperm washing involves taking a sample of the male’s sperm and “washing it in a special solution. We then spin it in a centrifuge for several minutes. This process separates X-bearing (female) sperm from Y-bearing (male) sperm. The sperm with the desired gender is then artificially inseminated into the mother with hopes of fertilization and implantation in the uterus.

The Ericksson method gives you a better chance of having a baby of one sex over the other, but is no guarantee. There can be overlap between X-bearing and Y-bearing sperm.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)

Parents undergoing in vitro fertilization have embryos created in a lab. The sex of each embryo is determined using PGD, a type of preimplantation genetic testing. PGD also detects any genetic abnormalities, which allows us to select the healthiest embryos of your desired sex.

We then place the embryo(s) in your uterus with hopes of implantation and a healthy pregnancy. PGD has a 100% success rate in sex determination. While PGD does come with some risks, our procedure is quite safe and effective.

PGD can also detect abnormalities in an embryo that could lead to pregnancy loss, especially in women of advanced maternal age or those who experience recurrent pregnancy loss. The testing makes it more likely that you’ll have a successful IVF cycle as well as a baby of the gender of your choosing.

Our team at California Center for Reproductive Health wants to give you the best chance to have the family of your dreams. Whether you’re struggling with infertility, desire gender selection, or need egg or sperm donation, we have the technology, expertise, and compassion to help. Call one of the offices in Encino, Valencia, or West Hollywood, or reach out via this website to schedule your appointment with our specialists.