Assisted reproduction in homosexual women: being lesbian mothers

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In recent years we have witnessed an increase in cases of families that move away from the traditional concept formed by father, mother and children. Single women and lesbian couples are some examples of these new family models.

A couple of homosexual women can have a child thanks to conventional assisted reproduction techniques: artificial insemination (AI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). In both cases, it will be necessary to resort to the donation of semen.

Also, there is a method available only for lesbian couples: the ROPA method or reception of the couple's ovules, which is increasingly popular among Spanish women.

Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article.

Index

Assisted reproduction in homosexual women: being lesbian mothers

Having a child with the semen of a donor

Of the 100,000 assisted reproduction treatments that are made per year in Spain, 5% falls on couples formed by two women and it is a fact that is increasing.

In the first place, it is important to highlight the need to resort to a sperm donor that provides the male gamete (the sperm) to make the assisted reproduction treatment and achieve pregnancy in one of them.

The donation of semen in Spain is anonymous. Therefore, the sperm donor will not have any kind of responsibility or rights over the child born and both women will be the legal mothers.

These are the reproductive options for two women to have a biological child:



Artificial insemination with donor sperm

One of the women undergoes an AI with semen from an anonymous donor chosen by the fertility clinic based on their physical characteristics.

For this, a gentle stimulation will be necessary for 1 or 2 ovules to mature, which will be expelled to the tubes during ovulation. At this time the seminal sample, previously trained, is introduced into the woman's uterus so that fertilization can take place.

Access to this article to know more about the artificial insemination treatment and the steps to follow: The artificial insemination of donor or IAD.

In vitro fertilization with donor sperm

It may be the case that the woman who wants to carry out the pregnancy has fertility problems and the AI ??is not effective. The second reproductive option for these women will be IVF.

Here, the woman receiving the treatment undergoes ovarian stimulation so that several ovules mature at the same time. These are obtained by follicular puncture and are fertilized in the laboratory with the donor's semen. The embryo or embryos obtained will be transferred to the woman's uterus according to the quality parameters.

If you want more information about the process of an IVF treatment enter here: IVF with sperm donor.

Assisted reproduction techniques to be lesbian mothers

Both in the case of the AI ??and in the IVF, even if only one of the two women is the one that undergoes the treatment, both will sign the informed consent, so both will be the legal mothers.

CLOTHING method for lesbian couples

The ROPA method is an exclusive IVF procedure for couples of women with reproductive desire that allows both to participate in the pregnancy process, one providing the eggs and the other gestating the baby.

In particular, there are two parts of the treatment and in each of them a woman participates:

  • Woman who provides the genetic endowment: she undergoes the ovarian stimulation of the IVF and the ovules are extracted by follicular puncture.
  • Woman who holds the pregnancy: receives the fertilized embryos in the laboratory with the semen of a donor and carries the pregnancy to term.

Both women receive hormonal medication: the first, for ovarian stimulation, and the second, for endometrial preparation.

Have a child with donor sperm by ROPA method

The choice of which woman donates the ovules and which one gets pregnant will depend on the couple's own decision, always considering medical advice.

Legal aspects of the ROPA method

Some people understand the ROPA method as a way of donating eggs from one woman to another. It is important to note that this is not the case, as we would be failing to comply with the anonymity required by Law 14/2006 in relation to the donation of gametes.

Therefore, it is not a donation of ovules, but the use of embryos by the couple, something that the law contemplates in article 11:

One of the possible destinations that can be given to embryos or cryopreserved oocytes is their use by the woman herself or her spouse.

In this sense, it is understood that in order to perform the ROPA method both women must be married, something that is not necessary in the other options (IA and FIV). If not married, it could be understood as a donation of non-anonymous eggs.

Assisted Reproduction ORG has special prices and first free visits in Spanish clinics where you can perform this treatment.

To get the discount coupon and be able to reduce the cost, click on the following link: See discounts for the ROPA method.

Assisted reproduction for lesbian mothers by Social Security

Law 14/2006 on assisted reproduction is the same for the entire country. However, the administration of the portfolio of health services included in social security depends on each autonomous community.

Although the law is the same for everyone, it is possible to make different interpretations. Communities that deny access to assisted reproduction techniques to single women or lesbian couples are based on the fact that they do not have a sterility problem as such.

The problem is that Social Security does not have enough resources to treat all patients who need these techniques to have a child. Therefore, only those who suffer from a specific fertility problem will be able to receive treatment.

Motherhood in lesbian couples

Access to assisted reproduction is also prevented for women who have previously had a tubal ligation in many cases.

The most advisable thing is that each couple goes to the reproduction unit that corresponds to it and it is informed if the treatment is covered or not. In addition, legislation in this area is changing depending on the government that exists at that time.

Questions from users

If we decide that we are both going to do an artificial insemination, can we use the semen from the same donor?

No, each one should use the semen from a different donor. The donation of semen in Spain is anonymous and is assigned by the assisted reproduction center itself based on the immunological and physical characteristics of the patient, so that the same donor can not be used for both women.

Can we do the treatment in Social Security?

In many Spanish autonomous communities, lesbian women can undergo artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization treatments. They must comply with the requirements demanded by public health in said community for access to assisted reproduction.

As for the ROPA method, it is not currently available by Social Security. Couples of women who want to have a child by this method should go to a private center.

How much can a treatment cost to be lesbian mothers?

It will depend on the treatment to be used and the center in which it is done. In Spain, insemination with donor semen costs between ? 900 and ? 1,700, IVF with donor semen between ? 3,200 and ? 5,000, and the ROPA method between ? 3,500 and ? 6,000 approximately.

Recommended reading

If you need more information about the CLOTHING method, read on here: What is it and what are the requirements of the CLOTHING method?

We have named Law 14/2006 on assisted reproduction techniques on several occasions. If you are interested in this topic, click on the following link: Law of assisted human reproduction in Spain.

You can also find out about the prices of all assisted reproduction techniques that we have discussed in this article: Prices in assisted reproduction.

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