Now that you and your partner are ready for the next step into family life, you may want to search for fertility doctors and clinics. Seek recommendations, do your research, and study success rates. Finding the right people and facilities to get you started on this journey is essential for your physical and psychological well-being.
Before going to the first consultation, you might have already chosen 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 discuss all aspects of your fertility. Also, enable fertility doctors to explain your alternatives 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 medicines from the local fertility clinic. This is needed to increase egg production. Normally, a woman produces only one egg a month. However, these drugs tell the ovaries to make more. Constant monitoring is then needed for the procedures to begin.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
The first is a simple procedure called intrauterine insemination. This is a type of artificial insemination. Donor sperm is “washed” and concentrated. Then it is placed straight into the uterus while the ovaries naturally release eggs to be fertilized.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
The second alternative is in vitro fertilization, a medical procedure where donor sperm fertilizes the egg in a lab setting. However, before this can happen, one has to go through ovarian stimulation. Then, 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 observed. This then determines when it can be transferred to the uterus. There are websites with detailed explanations on this if you wish to learn more.
Suppose a partner wants her eggs used but will not carry the pregnancy. In that case, she must go through the surgical egg retrieval process. The inseminated eggs, when 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 decide which partner will carry the pregnancy, she will then proceed with a fertility workup, which includes blood work to test hormone levels and to know the health of the uterus and fallopian tubes. You can select a sperm donor then 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. Why not try going to a fertility clinic in Yorkshire to answer questions you might have?
Most couples prefer sperm donation from family or a good friend. You might therefore ask your doctor what the procedure is for donating sperm. The sperm may need to be screened and quarantined before being processed.
The Takeaway
Starting the fertility treatments as a couple will take hard work and will require constant support from each other. Take time to look for the very best facility and specialists to get you through this exciting journey. Learn and try to comprehend what will happen throughout the process to prepare both of you in mind, body, and spirit.
