Men Having Babies: Fertility Options for Single and Gay Dads
Using Donor Eggs and Surrogacy to Start Your Family
There are plenty of fertility options for single and gay dads to start or grow their families. We’ve put together this article to cover the basics of family building through donor eggs and surrogacy, for single or gay dads who wish to have a genetic relationship with their children.
An Overview of Fertility Options for Single and Gay Dads
Cisgender men can have biological children without a female partner through collaborative reproduction (sometimes called third-party reproduction), meaning someone outside the intended parent(s) contributes biologically to conceive a baby. For men, you need an egg donor and a gestational carrier (surrogate). The donor eggs are fertilized via in vitro fertilization (IVF) with sperm from the intended father(s), and a resulting embryo is transferred to the gestational carrier.
High Quality Donor Eggs for Single and Gay Fathers
Most men seeking donor eggs use non-directed egg donation, which means they don’t personally know the egg donor. Non-directed egg donation can use either fresh eggs or frozen eggs from a qualified egg bank.
When choosing a non-directed donor, you’ll be able to see information like the donors’ photos, family history, and educational background, as well as more personal features like their interests, skills, and personality. Your egg donor is contributing genetically to your child, so it’s important to consider all these factors. You may wish to look for a donor who physically resembles you or your partner, or who shares similar interests or talents. It’s up to you to decide what traits are most important to you; we are happy to help provide guidance and counseling along the way.
At SIMPLIFY Egg Bank, all our donors meet rigorous medical, genetic, and psychological screening to ensure only the highest quality eggs. All eggs are frozen and fertilized at our sister clinic Pacific NW Fertility, which has some of the best success rates for cryopreservation and fertilization. Our high standards of quality mean that our embryos are just as healthy and successful as those developed from fresh eggs.
Gestational Surrogacy For Single and Gay Fathers
When it comes to fertility options for single and gay dads, choosing a donor egg is just the first step. The embryo also needs a safe home to grow and develop into a beautiful baby. This is where gestational carriers, often called surrogates, come in. Gestational carriers receive the fertilized embryo via IVF and carry the baby to term, providing a healthy uterus for the baby to safely develop. The carrier can be someone you know personally, or you can work with an agency to match with a carrier.
The matching process is a little different from choosing an egg donor in two ways. First, unlike the egg donor, the carrier will not share any genetic relationship with your child. Second, you will have a personal relationship with the carrier, as they carry and nurture your developing baby over the course of the pregnancy. Together, this means that choosing a carrier has nothing to do with what they look like and everything to do with how you connect. A great surrogate agency will help you determine your priorities, and match you with carriers who will be a good fit for the journey.
Once you’ve chosen your carrier, you will work with a lawyer to create contracts designed to protect the rights of both you and the carrier. There are also plenty of other resources along the way, including counseling to discuss your specific fertility journey.
Superior Fertility Care From Start to Finish
At SIMPLIFY, we are here for you for every step of the journey. Our partnership with our sister clinic PNWF means you receive the highest quality care possible: from initial consultation, to donor egg selection, to fertilization and implantation, to pregnancy and delivery. While exploring fertility options for single or gay dads can seem daunting, we are here to provide information, resources, and compassionate support and care at every step. If you are looking to build your family through donor eggs and surrogacy, schedule a free phone consultation today.
For more information about same sex fertility options, tune into our upcoming webinar to learn about our exciting new Center for LGBTQ+ Fertility at PNW Fertility. Click here to register for our free Zoom webinar now!