Patient to Patient

We were turned down by another fertility center

When they initially came out, Chris and Joe assumed they would never be fathers. Joe said he didn't feel it was "in the cards for me." Years later, as a couple, other friends started families and they soon realized it was very much in their cards. They decided to "solidify" their relationship in every way, legally with marriage and then children," says Chris. They were married in 2004 with enthusiastic support from both sides of their families.

Chris and Joe also decided to start a family in 2004. Joe's sister volunteered to be their egg donor and Chris' sister lovingly offered to carry and give birth to their baby. Chris explains, "I did a lot of homework to find the best solution for us. We reviewed cost, background and success rates for the IVF specialists in our area, and made a lot of calls. One prominent fertility center said they hadn't worked with a same-sex couple before and had to present our "case to the ethics board at [the hospital]."

When Chris and Joe decided to use Boston IVF, they were unaware that Samuel Pang, MD was the first Reproductive Endocrinologist in New England to provide IVF services for a gay male couple. Boston IVF seemed to be the best value and had the best success rates," he adds. The couple's IVF treatment led to the birth of a baby boy in July 2006. Excerpted with permission from Boston Spirit Magazine (November/December 2008)

Chris and Joe P., Massachusetts