Last Tuesday (6/10/14), Fertility Solutions held our monthly FREE patient seminar, hosted by Dr. Ania Kowalik. We had a great response and the fertility subjects discussed were vast. Some of the questions that were asked include:
- As a same sex couple, what are our options for fertility? As a lesbian couple, options for building a family are more prevalent today than ever before. Options for female couples ultimately depend on the age and health of the recipient partner and a sperm donor. For women who have chosen anonymous sperm donation, it is comforting to know that it is an FDA regulated field. The treatments that are typically suggested are:
- Ovulation Induction (OI) – This is the use of hormone therapy to stimulate numerous eggs reaching maturity in a single cycle.
- Artificial Insemination (AI) – Healthcare provider inserts the sperm directly into a women’s reproductive tract. A common AI procedure is intrauterine insemination (IUI), in which the healthcare provider inserts sperm directly into the uterus near the time of ovulation. Another form of AI is cervical insemination, this is when semen is released through a soft catheter to the cervical opening.
- Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) – Medical procedures used to bring eggs and sperm together without sexual intercourse.
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) – This is the most common ART procedure which utilizes medications to stimulate the development and release of a woman’s eggs. The eggs and sperm are placed together in a laboratory dish to fertilize. Once the eggs are successfully fertilized, the embryo/s are transferred into the woman’s uterus.
- Does insurance cover infertility treatments for same sex couples? The state mandate for infertility coverage in Massachusetts states that coverage for a woman under 35 years of age will begin after 1 year of trying to conceive and for women over 35, it is 6 months of trying to conceive.
- What is Fertility Solutions experience in the LGBT community? We have been helping all persons and couples, achieve their dream of building a family for 3 and a half years with a combined medical experience of over 50 years. As for the gay community, we are proud of our success with surrogacy, egg donation and same sex couples.
- How effective is frozen egg donation? This past January, ACOG announced that the thawing of oocytes is no longer considered experimental and that the success rates for pregnancy is comparable to fresh egg cycles.