Tag: sperm donor

Homosexual Couples: Do They Have Access to IVF?

Last modified: December 4, 2021

Nowadays, there is a large debate going on regarding same sex couples and whether they should have access to IVF.  Bans on homosexual marriage are tumbled across the Western World and a growing number of same sex couples want to build a family, same way heterosexual couples do.

homosexual couples

IVF experience for homosexual couples and typical couples seems to differ, according to homosexual people reports

It is not rare for homosexual men and women to want children. The problem is they have to deal with fertility limitations compared to typical straight couples. Nonetheless, gay parents are already out there and have been for some time. Studies estimate that there are about 594,000 same sex partner households in the USA and one in five same sex couples has children living in their households.

Some of them adopt while others have their own biological children. But how do they do the latter? Donor insemination and surrogacy are two standard ART options for same sex couples. Donor insemination involves using donor sperm. The donor can either be a known person, a friend for example, or an anonymous sperm donor from a sperm bank. Surrogacy applies to people who cannot carry a pregnancy so someone else does it for them.

For gay women an option for conception is one partner to donate the eggs and the other to carry the pregnancy. In that case IVF is necessary since fertilisation will take place outside the body in the lab, before the embryo can be transferred. However, intrauterine insemination is also available as a fertility treatment for lesbian couples; a far simpler treatment where IVF is not necessary.

And what about male gay couples interested in IVF? Gay couples will definitely need an egg donor and a surrogate who can carry the pregnancy. Fertilisation is accomplished by IVF using their own sperm.

But the question is how easy it really is for same sex couples to get access to these IVF treatments? There is no straightforward answer to this matter but, it appears that it is easier than it used to be, since legislative restrictions on surrogacy and egg donation are getting softer in time.

On the other hand, IVF experience for homosexual couples and typical couples seems to differ, according to homosexual people reports. There may be some states where surrogacy is fine for straight couples but not for homosexual couples, giving them a rough deal when it comes to fertility treatment.

Are you in favor of same sex couples building families?

 

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10 IVF myths

Last modified: December 4, 2021
IVF-myths

Many people think of IVF as the answer to all infertility problems

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) as an infertility treatment could not but be accompanied by its fair share of myths.The contribution of IVF and generally Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) in the rapidly growing field of
medical technologies and healthcare services, available for disease treatment and life quality enhancement, is undoubtedly unique.

There are studies suggesting a higher implantation rate with frozen embryo transfer

However, many people think of IVF as the answer to all infertility problems. Others believe that IVF is a treatment of high cost, affordable only for a small number of people such as business people or movie stars.

Here is a list of most commonly believed IVF myths:

Myth #1: IVF always results in multiple pregnancies like twins or higher-order multiples

FALSE: The risk for a multiple pregnancy can be decreased by reducing the number of embryos transferred, especially in young women.

Myth #2: Patients undertaking an IVF cycle have no control over the outcome of the treatment

FALSE: The success rate of an IVF cycle is highly dependent on a thorough evaluation of the couple and a careful coordination of both a medical and a scientific approach for each couple. There are a number of things IVF specialists have to deal with in order to optimize the chances of a pregnancy such as ovarian stimulation monitoring and timing of oocyte retrieval.

Myth #3: IVF is the answer to all infertility problems

FALSE: Depending on the case of infertility for each patient there are more options for treatment like Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI) and ovulation induction (OI) with medications.

Myth #4: IVF is only for wealthy people

FALSE: Though the cost of IVF is not low, it is not less affordable than some major procedures like heart surgery or joint replacement.

Myth #5: IVF increases women’s fertility

FALSE: Technically, IVF does the opposite. The hormones that are taken at the beginning of a cycle are made to stop a woman’s natural fertility process. Then the next round of hormones creates a synthetic cycle for optimizing the chances of pregnancy.

Myth #6: IVF babies have a significantly high risk of birth defects and malformations

FALSE: Even though some evidence seem to indicate that there may be some increased risk for birth defects in babies born through IVF, current studies suggest that the difference in the incidence of birth defects between naturally conceived  and IVF babies is not high significant.

Myth #7: IVF requires admission in the hospital

FALSE: It does not require overnight admission.  It is an out-patient treatment.

Myth #8: IVF is the last resort for infertile couples

FALSE: IVF is only one of the options available for infertility treatment, but in cases where IVF is not applicable there are other types of Assisted Reproductive Technology that work for patients like egg donor, sperm donor or surrogate.

Myth #9: Insurance covers IVF costs

FALSE: Usually there is no fertility insurance coverage but it is advisable to check with the insurance company before starting an IVF treatment.

Myth #10: IVF is successful in all cases

FALSE: Unfortunately this is not true; IVF is successful in up to 40% of cases. Multiple factors contribute to IVF success rates including the age of the woman.

Any more IVF myths to add?

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