who we are

About Us

Gay Parents To Be is the leading international fertility and family-building resource serving the LGBTQIA+ community.

In partnership with East Coast-based fertility practice Illume Fertility, we offer a full suite of family-building services that help you explore your options and navigate your chosen pathway to parenthood.

Gay Parents To Be is a single-source destination with a trusted partner network, including surrogacy agencies, egg donor banks, and reproductive attorneys.

Our mission? To help hopeful parents in the LGBTQIA+ community achieve their fertility and family-building goals with expert support.

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a leader in the field

Dedicated to Equity in Healthcare

Designated as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign for the past six years, Gay Parents To Be continues to signal its dedication to inclusion and equity in reproductive care.

The Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) is the only tool that evaluates healthcare facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees.

Candidates are evaluated on four points:

Patient-Centered Care
Patient Services and Support<
Employee Benefits and Policies
Patient and Community Engagement

created by a dad

Meet Our Founder

Gay Parents To Be was founded in 2012 by Dr. Mark Leondires, a prominent advocate for the LGBTQIA+ family-building community and a gay dad through egg donation and surrogacy himself.

Dr. Leondires founded Gay Parents To Be after learning firsthand how challenging it can be for LGBTQIA+ individuals to have a baby.

He currently resides in Connecticut with his husband, whom he married in 2010, and their two sons. He feels strongly that if someone desires to have a family the hurdles are surmountable and the joys, boundless.

"My own journey to parenthood took time.

Going through the process of choosing an egg donor, working with a wonderful gestational carrier and having my two sons has dramatically changed my life and my perspective on family building. It has changed the way I treat all of my patients, but especially my LGBTQIA+ patients.

I am so proud to be able to help others achieve their family-building dreams.”

Dr. Mark Leondires, Founder

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what we believe

LGBTQ+ Families Deserve Support

Many LGBTQ+ individuals and couples want to create families of their own. Our goal is to honor and celebrate the diversity of each person who comes to us for assistance and provide inclusive care for patients of all backgrounds and identities.

Knowing that, we created a team of LGBTQ+ fertility and family-building experts that are equally proud to help you achieve your goals. Our philosophy is to provide a supportive, compassionate, and encouraging environment for each person undergoing this process.

We maintain active partnerships with experts in the reproductive field, including representatives from the LGBTQ+ community, reproductive law experts, top tier surrogacy and egg donor agencies, and LGBTQ-focused counselors.

Matching these resources with our own first-class clinicians, caring staff, and state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, we aim to make the family-building experience accessible and inclusive for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.

surrounded by support

Your Personal Care Team

Gay Parents To Be is here to help you explore all potential paths to LGBTQ+ parenthood. If you choose to pursue biological family-building, our team is here to support you every step of the way.

In addition to your primary physician, your personal care team will involve a nurse coordinator, dedicated patient navigator, insurance and billing advocate, genetic counselor and licensed clinical social worker.

Stay up to date

Sign up for our newsletter!

Join our community of LGBTQ+ patients, parents and experts by signing up for our free monthly newsletter, The Voice. Each newsletter is packed with family-building advice, guides, family stories and more.