This Pride Month, aspiring parents in the LGBTQ+ community have more options than ever for fertility assistance, including reciprocal in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy.
Family building has been gaining popularity in the LGBTQ+ community, with more people looking to have their own biological children, according to a survey by Family Equality. For aspiring LGBTQ+ parents, there are a host of interventions to learn about, from medical treatments to support for the emotional toll fertility care can take.
Dr. Allison Bloom of Main Line Fertility in Pennsylvania, part of the Prelude Network of clinics, is a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. She is also a mother thanks to advances in reproductive medicine.
“As an REI and member of the LGBTQ+ community, I remember being grateful for the advancements in ART [assisted reproductive technologies] that brought me and my wife our sons. I was equally thankful for the welcoming and compassionate care we received throughout our journey — one that was void of any discrimination that could have made our patient experience less pleasant,” Bloom said.
As the LGBTQ+ Global Ambassador for The Prelude Network, the largest network of fertility clinics across North America, Bloom spreads awareness about fertility options for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Reproductive options include donor sperm and egg services, fertility preservation before gender-affirming care, surrogacy, and reciprocal IVF, in which an egg is harvested from one partner and the fertilized embryo is implanted in the other partner, allowing both parents to participate in the reproductive process.
The Prelude Network is the clinic network of Inception Fertility, a family of fertility brands that touches every part of the fertility journey, from diagnostics and treatment to financial accessibility. Prelude is the fastest-growing network of fertility clinics and largest provider of comprehensive fertility services in North America.
Each clinic delivers the highest level of fertility care by leading reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists and practitioners, focused on excellence in both science and patient experience. Prelude clinics offer a wide range of services, including egg freezing, IVF, genetic testing, LGBTQ+ fertility options, and egg/embryo storage, among others.
Prelude has clinics in Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, California, Georgia, Tennessee and Canada, among the network’s more than 90 locations worldwide.
TMX contributed to this story.
