Welcome! At The Fertilitätszentrum Zürich, we believe everyone deserves the chance to become a parent. More and more LGBT couples are using assisted reproductive technology to become parents, and there are many options to fit your specific needs. The Fertilitätszentrum Zürich provides culturally sensitive reproduction assistance for the LGBT community through a variety of options:
For Lesbian Couples
Lesbian couples have many different options when it comes making their dream family a reality. Some options include Intra Uterine Insemination, reciprocal IVF, IVF using donor sperm, IVF using donor eggs, IVF using donor embryos and gestational carriers (surrogate uterus).
Both you and your partner will first be evaluated to determine whether or not there are existing fertility impairments. After that, there will be some important questions to consider, such as: Who will be the partner to carry the child? Who will provide the eggs? Will you choose an anonymous sperm donor or someone you know?
Once you and your partner make these decisions, the following services are available:
Procedure performed in office to prepare sperm and place within a woman’s uterus to help achieve pregnancy.
Couples who do not have infertility may choose to retrieve the eggs from one partner, inseminate the eggs with donor sperm and have the resultant embryo(s) transferred into the other partner who then becomes pregnant. This enables both partners in the relationship to be physically involved in the conception of their child and is a very appealing concept to many lesbian couples.
Depending on the fertility issue, the eggs and sperm used in IVF may be the couple’s own or may come from donors.
In the case a fertility impairment is determined for either partner, the following services are also available:
Depending on the fertility issue, the eggs and sperm used in IVF may be the couple’s own or may come from donors.
Depending on the fertility issue, the eggs and sperm used in IVF may be the couple’s own or may come from donors.
What is a gestational carrier?
A gestational carrier (GC) is a woman who volunteers to carry a pregnancy for someone who cannot otherwise carry a pregnancy for herself (someone who has had her uterus removed due to health problems, or someone who has a nonfunctional uterus).
A gestational carrier (GC) is not a traditional “surrogate”, as a surrogate is someone who donates her egg and subsequently carries the child. In the case of a gestational carrier, the woman carrying the pregnancy is in no way biologically or genetically related to the child she is carrying – she is merely providing a nurturing environment in the form of a uterus for the child to grow for the gestational period of 40 weeks. The eggs and sperm are derived from the “intended parents” (or egg donor, or sperm donor), through the process of In Vitro Fertilization, fertilized in the lab, and then the embryo (or embryos) are placed into the uterus of the gestational carrier.
Is a gestational carrier the right option right for me?
A gestational carrier is required for any couple in which the female partner cannot carry the pregnancy herself. This may result from conditions in which the female partner has had her uterus surgically removed, which may occur in cases such as cervical or uterine cancer, fibroids, severe endometriosis, or any other conditions requiring a hysterectomy. In other cases, the woman may have her uterus intact, however, the uterus may be nonfunctional. This may be the result of scarring from prior surgeries or infections, among other conditions. As long as the ovaries are intact and functional, there is a good possibility that eggs may be harvested and fertilized in the lab with sperm to create embryos, which may then be placed into the uterus of the gestational carrier.
For Gay Male Couples
Gay men who want to have a family have the option of using a donor egg and gestational carriers. Please click the links above for more information.
Our mission is to help create healthy families by providing the most advanced reproductive technologies in addition to superior patient care. Start your family with The Fertilitätszentrum Zürich – we’re here to help you every step of the way.