Transgender Family Building Services

The New Hope Center for Reproductive Medicine in Virginia Beach, VA offers family building services to transgender individuals and couples, so they can fulfill their dream of starting a family. For more information, call us today and schedule a consultation.

Transgender individuals have the option to preserve their fertility or undergo treatment to have a child right away, prior to beginning hormone therapy and transition.

Transgender Family Building

• Fertility preservation allows an individual to preserve their gametes (eggs or sperm), by freezing and storing them for future use.
• Fertility treatment allows an individual to try to have a child immediately.

Transgender Fertility: Male to Female

Prior to Transition if Single

Sperm Banking
If not partnered, or not yet ready to have children, sperm banking can be done before starting hormonal therapy. An IVF clinic or commercial sperm bank can cryopreserve (freeze) and store your sperm. It is recommended that you “bank” multiple specimens.

Costs incurred with this option include the actual freezing process to cryopreserve specimen(s), along with monthly/yearly fees to store them at the selected facility. Typical costs to freeze sperm samples ranges from ~$100-$200 (per sample), while monthly storage fees are usually between $10-$30/per month, depending on the clinic or facility you elect to work with.

Prior to Transition if Partnered with a Man

Donor IVF
IVF (In vitro fertilization) with an egg donor and gestational surrogate will be necessary to have a pregnancy and birth. Your “banked” sperm can be used to inseminate the eggs received from the donor, and once fertilized, the embryos can be placed into the gestational surrogate to carry the resulting pregnancy. You have the option of using either an anonymous or a “known” egg donor (friend, co-worker, etc.).

The total cost for a Donor IVF Cycle depends on several factors, not just the clinic you elect to work with. As the recipient of the eggs, you have several options for receiving donor eggs, all with different costs. For example, a fresh anonymous donor cycle costs more than a fresh “known” donor cycle, while selecting frozen donor eggs is typically less than a fresh cycle. Also, doing a fresh Shared or Split Donor cycle, may cost less than the prior three options.

It’s best to discuss all available options with Dr. Robin, so she can assist you in making an educated decision on how to proceed.

After Transition if Partnered with a Woman

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) with Banked Sperm
If partnered with a woman, conception may be attempted using banked sperm to inseminate the female partner through intrauterine insemination.

Costs associated with IUI include the laboratory fees to prepare the sperm sample, and the actual insemination by a physician or mid-level provider. In some cases, additional costs may arise, for an ultrasound(s) to aid in preparing the uterine lining for the IUI, fertility medications such as Clomid or Femara, and for blood tests to monitor hormone levels. In the end, costs are modest, when compared to most other fertility treatments.

For more information on IUI – please follow this link.

After Transition if Partnered with a Man

Donor IVF
IVF (in vitro fertilization), using an egg donor to provide eggs and a gestational surrogate to carry the pregnancy, will be needed. Banked sperm can be used for insemination of the eggs.

For more information on Donor Egg IVF – please follow this link.

Gestational Carrier
There are several aspects to consider when enlisting a gestational carrier to assist you in having a child. The IVF clinic will require a legal contract/agreement between you (the intended parent) and the carrier, prior to initiating treatment. The agreement must be drafted by an attorney, and we recommend using one that has experience and familiarity in doing these types of contracts.
The New Hope Center can provide the names and contact information for several reputable and experienced attorneys to assist you with this process.

Costs related to using a gestational carrier include legal fees in preparing your agreement, those for the fertility treatment and medications to achieve the pregnancy, as well as those for the gestational carrier’s obstetrical care and delivery of the baby.

While most insurance plans don’t cover the costs of fertility treatment, some do provide coverage for certain pre and post treatment care. It’s best to contact the plan directly and inquire as to all the benefits available.

Transgender Fertility: Female to Male

Prior to Transition if Single
Prior to transitioning and starting testosterone therapy, you have multiple options for becoming pregnant-now, or to preserve your fertility for the future.

IUI, IVF, or INVOCell using donor sperm
To become pregnant right away, you can have an IUI using donor sperm. Depending on your age and any gynecologic or fertility related factors, you can alternately elect to do IVF (In Vitro fertilization) or INVOCell, using your own eggs and inseminating them with donor sperm.

For more information on IVF or INVOCell – please follow these links

Egg or Embryo Banking
To preserve your fertility for later, you can elect Egg or Embryo banking (see below for further description).

Prior to Transition if Partnered with a Man
If partnered with a man, the easiest and least expensive option is “traditional” conception via sexual intercourse.

Prior to Transition if Partnered with a Woman

Co-INVOCell or Co-IVF

If partnered with a woman, prior to transitioning, you can undergo an INVOCell or IVF (In vitro fertilization) cycle to retrieve your eggs, and then have the female partner (not transitioning partner) carry the pregnancy. In this situation, the couple would purchase donor sperm to be used would be used in fertilizing your eggs. When both partners are involved, the process is called Co-INVOCell or Co-IVF.

The cost of Co-IVF or Co-INVOCell depends on several factors, such as the presence or lack of a health insurance plan that covers some or all of the procedures.  Patients uncertain if their health plan will cover IVF or not, should contact their carrier at the phone number on your ID card. New Hope Patients, can request one of our patient service representatives to contact your carrier and verify the coverage and benefits on your plan.

Fertility Medications
Fertility medication are needed for any patient who is proceeding with Egg Freezing, IVF, or INVOCell, and it’s another factor to consider when preparing for your costs.

Some insurance plans do provide coverage for fertility medications, while others do not. For those patients without pharmacy coverage for these medications, there are programs available to assist you with the cost, by offering a discount ranging from 10-75%. A member of our IVF team can assist you with this process, if you’re proceeding with one of the treatments noted above.

Egg and/or Embryo Banking
If having children prior to Female to Male transition is not possible, or you are not ready to have children at that time, the following options are available:

• To go through an egg retrieval and have your eggs cryopreserved (frozen) and stored for future insemination with donor or male partner’s sperm.
• To undergo the complete process of in vitro fertilization, but without having the embryos transferred at that time and rather, all of the viable/high quality embryos will be cryopreserved and stored.

In this scenario, if you become partnered with a man, you could attempt embryo transfer to a gestational carrier to carry the pregnancy. Alternately, if you become partnered with a woman, embryos could be transferred to her uterus and she would carry the pregnancy.

Regardless of which situation you fall into, The New Hope Center is here with a method of helping you reach your goal for a family, be it now or in the future. For more information, please call us or book an appointment online. We serve patients from Virginia Beach VA, Rudee Heights VA, Lynnhaven VA, Linkhorn Estates VA and Dam Neck VA.