Family Building

Trans Parents to Be

For trans individuals who want to build their families biologically, Gay Parents To Be offers help with both fertility preservation and treatment. It’s important to know that hormonal or surgical components of transitioning may affect your future fertility, but with knowledge and preparation, biological family building can be more than just a dream — it can be a reality.

Fertility Preservation

If you plan on transitioning, but have not taken any surgical or hormonal steps, speak to your physician about freezing your sperm or eggs before undergoing any treatment that may affect your fertility.

Assigned Male at Birth

If you were assigned a male gender at birth, cryopreserving (or freezing) sperm prior to any hormone or surgical therapy allows you the potential for future use later in life. Frozen sperm can be kept safely for many years.
There are multiple factors to consider when evaluating sperm quality, which may affect your decision of how many vials of sperm to freeze. Your fertility physician will help guide you through this process through analysis and discussion.

Assigned Female at Birth

If you were assigned a female gender at birth, cryopreserving (or freezing) eggs prior to any hormone or surgical therapy allows you the potential for future use later in life.
Egg freezing involves a short cycle of fertility treatment, leading up to an egg retrieval, after which point eggs will be cryopreserved for use in a future family building journey.
Once eggs are frozen, you have years to decide about next steps and choices, including where to obtain sperm with which to create embryos, and who will carry any future pregnancies.

Next Steps: Options for Family Building Using Frozen Eggs or Sperm

If you have already taken steps to transition and have cryopreserved gametes, speak to your physican about your personal plan for family building. Your options for family building may include some of the below:

Trans Individuals Who Have Cryopreserved Sperm

If you are in a relationship with a cisgender woman, you can use your sperm and your partner’s eggs to complete a pregnancy journey through intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) with the help of your fertility center.
If you are single, or in a relationship with a cisgender man, you can use the help of an egg donor to create embryos, and a gestational carrier to complete a pregnancy journey. Your chosen fertility center will be able to help personalize your plan for family building.

Trans Individuals Who Have Cryopreserved Eggs

If you are in a relationship with a cisgender woman, you can use your eggs and donor sperm to complete a [reciprocal IVF] cycle, with the help of your fertility center.
If you are single, or in a relationship with a cisgender man, you can use donor or partner sperm to complete a pregnancy journey. Some of these journeys may require the help of a gestational carrier – your chosen fertility center will help you build your personalized plan for family building.

Personal Support For Your Journey

For trans individuals or couples, your family building path will be personalized based on your gender at birth, any fertility preservation, and what gametes are needed to build your family (sperm or egg). The Gay Parents To Be team is dedicated to helping you plan ahead for your future, know your options, and minimize any physical or emotional stress for those who have already started treatment to transition.

Whether this is your first step, or a stop along the way, we’re here to help.

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