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LGBTQ+ Family Building

Our facility provides a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone who wants to build a family. Barnes-Jewish Hospital is recognized as a “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” for receiving a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Healthcare Equality Index.

For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer people who would like to have a child, you have a variety of fertility treatment options. At the Fertility & Reproductive Medicine Center, our fertility experts work to find the right solution for people of any sexual orientation.

LGBTQ+ Family Building: Treatments We Offer

Same-sex partners have several options for having a baby. Our reproductive specialists can discuss those options with you to determine the best way for you to build your family. Treatments we offer include:

  • Intrauterine insemination (IUI): Lesbian couples can use donor sperm (from a known or anonymous donor) for artificial insemination. If you choose to use an anonymous donor, we can help connect you with a reputable sperm bank that fits your needs.
  • In vitro fertilization (IVF): For an IVF procedure, a lesbian couple can use donor sperm, and it will be mixed with eggs from only one of the partners. Our doctors transfer one or more of the resulting embryos into the uterus of the partner who wants to carry the pregnancy.
  • IVF with a gestational carrier: Gay couples can achieve pregnancy using sperm from one or both partners mixed with donor eggs in an IVF procedure. Our fertility specialists transfer one or more of the resulting embryos into the uterus of a gestational carrier. Learn more about gestational carriers.
  • Fertility preservation for transgender people: Male or female transgender individuals may choose to undergo fertility preservation (freezing eggs, embryos or sperm) before their transition. Read more about fertility preservation.

Contact Us

To make an appointment with a Washington University fertility and reproductive medicine specialist at the Women & Infants Center, call 888.998.3321.