Assisted Reproduction for Gays Living Abroad

Boston IVF helps gay male couples throughout the US and abroad to have genetically related babies using donor eggs and gestational surrogacy.

As a male couple you will be using both an egg donor and a gestational surrogate to conceive your genetically related babies. You will need to come to the US twice. First for your consultation and initial blood work and then again approximately a week and a half before your egg donor’s egg retrieval. This is because we need to do additional blood work that must be done in the US. We will also need you to be here to provide a fresh semen sample for use on the day of the egg retrieval. To start this process please contact one of our Donor Egg and Gestational Surrogacy Coordinators at ((888) 300-2483 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST.

1. Becoming a Patient at Boston IVF
The first step is to have a telephone conversation with one of our Donor Egg and Gestational Surrogacy Coordinators. You will not schedule your in-person consultation until you have selected an egg donor and a gestational surrogate and both have been screened and approved by Boston IVF. To contact one of our Donor Egg Coordinators please call (888) 300-2483 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST.

2. Selecting an Egg Donor
Anonymous Egg Donors
My Egg Bank at Boston IVF allows you to choose cryopreserved eggs provided by an ethnically diverse group of healthy young women. The cost to use frozen eggs is significantly less than use of a "fresh" donor. However, if you prefer to use unfrozen eggs from an anonymous egg donor our Donor Egg Coordinator can refer you to local donor egg agencies with whom we work. Your anonymous egg donor must live in the US.

Known Egg Donors
If you wish to use a friend or a family member, such as your sister, cousin, or niece, they will be considered on a case by case basis. If your known egg donor does not live in the US they will need to travel to the US twice. First for their initial screening at Boston IVF and consultation with our Donor Egg Team. If they are married their spouse must attend this appointment as well. If she is accepted as an egg donor she will need to come back to the US for treatment at the time she starts her Lupron medication and she will need to stay in the US until her egg retrieval. This is approximately 3 weeks. Your egg donor cannot fly the same day as her egg retrieval; she must schedule her trip home at least one day later.

3. Selecting a Gestational Surrogate
Selecting a Gestational Surrogate through an Agency
If you would like to select a gestational carrier through an agency our Gestational Carrier Coordinator will refer you to the local agencies with whom we work. Your gestational carrier must live in the US.

Using a Family Member or Friend as a Gestational Surrogate
If you wish to use a family member or friend as your gestational carrier they will be considered on a case by case basis. They must live in the US.

4. Scheduling
After your egg donor and gestational carrier have been screened and approved you will be contacted to schedule an in-person consultation with the Donor Egg and Gestational Carrier Team. This cannot be done over the phone and your partner must attend the consultation as well.

5. Cost
There are several costs associated with a donor egg and gestational surrogate IVF cycle.
• Testing: ~$2,000 each (so ~$4,000 if both you and your partner are contributing sperm)
• Administration fee: $8,600. This covers the screening of your egg donor and gestational surrogate.
• IVF Cycle: $14,000 - $18,000.
• Medications for your egg donor and gestational surrogate: ~$6,000
• Initial pregnancy monitoring for gestational surrogate: ~$900
• Embryo Freezing: typically we transfer 1 or 2 embryos into a gestational carrier. However, often times you will have more than 1 or 2 embryos. If that is the case you may chose to freeze the excess embryos for later use. If so, the cost to freeze embryos is $1,000. This includes the first 90 days of storage. After that the cost of storage is $85 a month.

6. Medical Records
If you have had any fertility diagnostic testing or treatment in the past you will need to provide a copy of the medical records at least one week before your scheduled appointment. These records must be in English so that our physician can adequately review them.

7. Testing
At the consultation we will do some blood work for you and your partner and also try to schedule a semen analysis while you are in town. If both you and your partner plan to contribute sperm you will both need a semen analysis.

8. Returning for Treatment
You will need to return to the US a week and a half before your egg donor’s scheduled egg retrieval. This is because you will need more blood work (which must be done at Boston IVF) and you will need to provide a fresh semen sample on the day of the egg retrieval. To avoid any scheduling conflicts please do not schedule your return trip home the same day as the egg retrieval. Please schedule your flight home at least one day later.

9. Pregnancy Care
Your gestational surrogate will have a blood test and ultrasound at Boston IVF to confirm a viable pregnancy. The ultrasound is scheduled at 7 weeks of pregnancy and if a viable pregnancy is confirmed she will be discharged back to her obstetrician for her pre-natal care and delivery. At the end of your pregnancy you must contact Boston IVF to provide us with your gestational surrogate’s pregnancy outcome (live birth, miscarriage, etc).