HFEA.gov.uk uses cookies to deliver content and make improvements to the website. Accept Configure Menu toggle Fertility treatment for LGBT+ people If you’re a LGBT+ person or couple and want to have a family with a biological connection to you or your partner, you may need to have fertility treatment. Get an overview of what to expect on this page. Understanding treatment Intrauterine insemination (IUI) IUI or donor insemination is often used by people in female same-sex relationships who want a family and can also be used to impregnate a surrogate. You can have it with or without fertility drugs and the whole procedure is relatively quick and painless. Find out more about IUI In vitro fertilisation (IVF) IVF may be appropriate for people in female same-sex relationships with fertility problems and can be used in surrogacy. Find out more about IVF Surrogacy Surrogacy is the main treatment for people in a male same-sex relationship who want a family. It involves finding a surrogate who is prepared to carry and give birth to a child for you. You can either mix one partner’s sperm with the surrogate’s eggs or with donated eggs. Find out more about surrogacy Using a donor You may need to find a sperm or egg donor (or both) to use in your treatment. There are lots of options for finding a donor. Find out more about using a donor Information for trans and non-binary people seeking fertility Some medical treatments for gender dysphoria, including hormone therapy and surgery, can have an impact on your fertility. If you’re considering starting treatment to physically alter your body, or you’ve already started, find out what your options are for preserving your fertility. Information for trans and non-binary people seeking fertility Looking after yourselves Even if you don’t have fertility problems, fertility treatment itself can be an emotionally draining process. One in three pregnancies end in a miscarriage, plus there’s the possibility treatment might not work. Make sure you’re talking to family and friends if you need to and consider getting additional support from outside your existing network. Stonewall is a great place to start, or you could consider getting counselling either together or individually. Find out more about getting emotional support Decisions about your treatment There are some important decisions you’ll need to make before you start treatment. If you’re using a donor/surrogate, do you want to ask someone you know or find someone through a clinic? Whose eggs or sperm are you going to use? Are you thinking about having treatment abroad and are you aware of all the issues? Make sure you’ve thought all the issues through and you’re both comfortable with whatever decisions you make. Fertility treatment abroad Using donated sperm, eggs or embryos Using a private sperm donor Private sperm donation is where you use donated sperm outside of a licensed clinic – it is unregulated and therefore you should be very careful. Donors who donate via a clinic will have to go through tough health tests, they’ll receive proper counselling and all the legal issues will be taken care of. If you use a private sperm donor, there is a risk the donor could be considered the father of your baby, with all the rights and responsibilities that come with that. Home insemination with donor sperm Legal issues If you’re not married or in a civil partnership and you want the non-biological partner to be legally recognised as the legal parent of your child, it is essential that you both fill in the correct forms. If you don’t, your donor or surrogate could be considered s the legal parent of your child and sorting that out is extremely time-consuming and expensive. Your clinic will talk you through what’s needed. Find out more about the legal implications of using donated sperm Becoming the legal parents of your child Funding Fertility treatment can be expensive. If you’re in a male same-sex relationship and having surrogacy you’ll have to pay for treatment privately and if you’re in a female same-sex relationship you’ll need to pay for six cycles of IUI before you qualify for NHS funding (and even then it will depend on what’s available in your area). You can find out more information about treatment costs on our intrauterine insemination and surrogacy pages. Costs and funding Family formations in fertility treatment 2018 (published September 2020) This report covers UK in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and donor insemination (DI) statistics for heterosexual, female same-sex and single patients. View the Family formations in fertility treatment 2018 report here. Publication date: 20 April 2021 Review date: 20 April 2023 Send to a friend Print this page Was this article helpful? We'd like to make sure you are receiving information you are looking for. Please click on star to indicate how useful this article was to you. 3 stars out of 5 Fairly helpful of 46 reviews Follow us on Twitter Opens in new window Get in touch Facebook Opens in new window Get information Find a Clinic Treatment options Donors and donation Fertility preservation About the HFEA News and press releases Privacy, cookies and accessibility Accessibility statement Freedom of information Complaints Work for us For clinics Clinic Portal Applying for a clinic licence Applying for a research licence PGT-M conditions Research and data Our data Guide to the anonymised register Research publications