Gay Men Paths to Parenthood

A gay male couple who wants to have a baby has multiple options through fertility treatment at California Fertility Partners.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

One partner undergoes sperm testing with both selecting an egg donor and a gestational surrogate.

Donor Egg - Using an Egg Donor

Donor eggs fill an important role in gay male couples attaining parenthood. Egg Donors are those that donate their eggs to recipients as part of an assisted reproduction treatment. Gay male couples will need to select an egg donor (fresh or frozen donor eggs) as well as a gestational surrogate for IVF treatment.

Fresh Donor Eggs

Fresh eggs are retrieved from an egg donor and then fertilized within hours and are then developed in the IVF lab until they've reached a 5-day blastocyst embryo state. At this point, they are either freshly transferred to the gestational carrier (or intended parent) or frozen for future use.

Frozen Donor Eggs

Frozen donor eggs are retrieved from an egg donor and then frozen before fertilization. When frozen donor eggs are selected by intended parents, eggs are thawed, fertilized, and grown to a blastocyst embryo state. At this point, the embryos are then transferred immediately or frozen again for later use. Frozen donor eggs are available immediately, allowing for a shorter timeline and are typically less expensive than fresh donor eggs.

Surrogacy - Using a Gestational Carrier

In gestational surrogacy, a lab creates an embryo using an egg and sperm from the intended parents or an egg, sperm, or both from donors. A gestational carrier receives the embryo and carries the pregnancy to term, then relinquishes the baby to the intended parents. There is no genetic connection between the child and the gestational carrier.

Split Cycle IVF

Both male intended parents provide sperm to fertilize donor eggs, and one embryo from each partner is implanted in a gestational surrogate.

IVF With Embryo Donation / Embryo Adoption

Some couples may choose to adopt embryos from others that have donated their frozen embryos. In many IVF cycles, individuals or couples are left with excess viable frozen embryos and choose to donate them to others on their family-building journey.