Where Can I Get Information About In Vitro Fertilization?
Answered by Liz Coolidge, coordinator of the LGBT Family and Parenting Services at Fenway Community Health in Boston. Jan. 23, 2002
Lesbians and in vitro fertilization
Q: Dear Liz,
Is the idea of a lesbian couple using in vitro fertilization - harvesting one partner's egg, fertilizing it with a donor's sperm and implanting into the other partner - usually successful? Is it extremely expensive? And how difficult is it to find a doctor or clinic willing to work with you?
Thanks,
Michelle
A: Dear Michelle,
Some lesbian couples are attracted to the in vitro fertilization procedure you describe not because one of them is infertile but because they both want to have a biological connection to the child. But, more often, women choose IVF with a donated egg when they are infertile and don't produce viable eggs of their own.
This procedure requires medical intervention and medication that can have serious side effects.
And, yes, it also is extremely expensive. [Editor's note: Reported costs of in vitro fertilization range from several thousand dollars to more than $10,000.] To find out about the costs in your area, it is best to directly contact a doctor who performs the procedure. You can get a list by contacting Resolve, the national infertility association, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine or the InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination.
You should also know that unless the woman having the egg implanted has the medical diagnosis of infertility, health insurance companies typically will not pay for it. (In some states, health insurance companies will not pay for infertility treatment under any circumstances.)
As for success rates, the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report revealed that there were 80,634 "artificial reproductive technology attempts" in 1998, resulting in the birth of 28,500 babies, as Carol Frost Vercollone, author of Helping the Stork (Hungry Minds Inc., 1997), discusses in IVF success rates.
It should not, however, be difficult to find an infertility clinic that is willing to consider performing IVF for a lesbian couple, especially in large metropolitan areas where medical providers are familiar with lesbian and gay clients. In fact, they are often happy to work with clients who are prepared to pay directly rather than bill an insurance company.
Good luck as you explore this process!
Sincerely,
Liz Coolidge
Coolidge is coordinator of the LGBT Family and Parenting Services at Fenway Community Health in Boston.
Jan. 23, 2002