Helping women have babies: fertility options for lesbian couples

Lesbian couples are having more fertility treatment than ever before. According to the HFEA, in 2019, 2,435 IVF cycles (4% of all cycles) involved a female partner, a four-fold increase compared to 489 cycles in 2009 (1%).

Fertility treatment 2019: trends and figures (HFEA, 2021)

There are several pathways that lesbian couples can choose to have a baby. This page outlines the various fertility treatments that are usually recommended for lesbian couples.

Fertility Diagnostics

Whether you’d like to explore your fertility or you’re ready to begin treatment, our fertility diagnostic assessments are a great place to start.

• Our Female + Female Diagnostic Assessment for lesbian couples includes an ultrasound scan, AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone) test and thyroid profiles for both of the intended mothers, as well as a consultation with a fertility doctor to advise on next steps. If you’re ready for a baby, this package will help inform which treatment is most suitable for you (Shared Motherhood, IUI, IVF, etc.). Our Fertility Diagnostics: Female + Female cost £750.
• If you only wish to only test one woman, our Fertility Diagnostics: Female is also available, although if you’re unsure which woman will undergo treatment, the Female + Female option is advised.

IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) with Donor Sperm

IUI is often the simplest method of conceiving as a lesbian couple. In IUI, donor sperm is injected directly into a woman’s womb, and fertilisation takes place naturally rather than in vitro. This means that the procedure is less invasive, and less expensive than IVF. For women with known fertility conditions, IUI may not be the most effective treatment.

Apricity’s all-inclusive IUI package costs £1,880 and includes all treatment, medication (if necessary), monitoring scans and blood tests.

It does not include the cost of donor sperm, but our trusted partner, UK-based sperm bank Semovo, can supply this. Once you have selected your donor sperm, Apricity can place the order and make arrangements on your behalf. We also work with a selection of other reputable sperm banks. If you wish to use another, please contact our team to check that we work with them.

Donor sperm may not always be needed for lesbian couples undergoing IUI. You may be using a known donor, or one of the partners may be transgender and have frozen sperm before her transition.  

If you’d like to get started with any of these options, the first step is to book a free call with a fertility advisor to chat through your needs and preferences.

IVF with Donor Sperm

IVF with donor sperm is a common choice for lesbian couples looking to have a baby. In IVF, medication is given to stimulate a woman’s ovaries, encouraging the production of multiple eggs. When these are ready, they are collected and placed into petri dishes with donor sperm, where fertilisation happens. Embryos form and are monitored in a laboratory before transferring back to a woman’s uterus for implantation. 

In IVF with Donor Sperm, the same partner undergoes stimulation, egg collection and embryo transfer. Unlike our Shared Motherhood package (see below), only one partner is involved in the conception stage of the process, unless one of the women is transgender and has frozen her sperm before transition.

IVF has higher success rates than IUI, which is why it is a top choice for women and couples who want to have children.

Our all-inclusive IVF package costs £6,995 and includes all medication, monitoring scans and blood tests, consultations, embryology, blastocyst culture (as applicable), and embryo transfer.

Our IVF package does not include the cost of donor sperm, but our trusted partner, UK-based sperm bank Semovo, can supply this. Once you have selected your donor sperm, Apricity can place the order and make arrangements on your behalf. We also work with a selection of other reputable sperm banks. If you wish to use another, please contact our team to check that we work with them.

Shared Motherhood

Shared Motherhood is a great option for lesbian couples where both women wish to be involved in the conception process. In Shared Motherhood, one woman undergoes the first part of an IVF cycle  (stimulation and egg collection), while the other receives the embryo after fertilisation, for pregnancy and delivery. 

Our all-inclusive Shared Motherhood package costs £7,750 and includes all medication, monitoring scans and blood tests for both mothers, consultations, embryology, blastocyst culture (as applicable), and embryo transfer.

Our Shared Motherhood package does not include the cost of donor sperm, but our trusted partner, UK-based sperm bank Semovo, can supply this. Once you have selected your donor sperm, Apricity can place the order and make arrangements on your behalf. We also work with a selection of other reputable sperm banks. If you wish to use another, please contact our team to check that we work with them.

Get started with Apricity

At Apricity, all of our packages are centred around you, with seven-day-a-week support, full transparency and low or no travel options. Our all-inclusive pricing means you know your cost upfront, with no hidden surprises. If you’d like to get started with any of these options, the first step is to book a free call with a fertility advisor to chat through your needs and preferences. We’d be happy to walk you and your partner through options anytime, and can easily customise packages so that they fit you perfectly.