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Aspire Houston Fertility Institute believes that everyone should be able to pursue their dream of becoming a parent. We accept all patients just as they are, and we’re proud to serve the LGBTQ+ community and its family-building needs. Aspire HFI has extensive experience providing individuals and couples with all levels of fertility treatments. Together with your physician, you will decide which treatments best meet your goals on the path to parenthood.
Learn more about common care paths for cisgender gay men, cisgender lesbian women, and transgender individuals.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) are two fertility treatment options that can help LGBTQ+ individuals and couples grow their families. IUI involves inseminating sperm from a partner or donor into the uterus of a partner or gestational carrier (surrogate).
IVF is more invasive, consisting of ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization, and embryo transfer. This treatment can be used in same-sex couples using donor sperm or LGBTQ+ patients using a surrogate.
IVF with surrogacy is a popular option for male partners who want to have a baby. To assist with surrogacy for gay couples, Aspire HFI works with the best surrogacy agencies in Houston. We’re happy to help you find a surrogacy team that can guide you through the selection process and provide you with referrals to attorneys who can navigate the legal aspects of third-party reproduction. Texas is also a surrogacy-friendly state.
Aspire HFI is proud to have its own large Donor Egg Bank, one of the only donor egg banks in the southern region of the United States. Eggs for both synchronous and asynchronous cycles are readily available from a large number of diverse and rigorously screened donors.
For patients seeking a sperm donor, we can help connect with national sperm banks and develop a personalized plan, covering pre-treatment preparation, sperm selection, donor insemination, and beyond.
Building a family can be challenging for transgender people who want to have their own biological children. Aspire HFI provides options, including fertility preservation, to help transgender patients realize their dreams of parenthood. Eggs or sperm can be frozen for future use before undergoing hormone treatment or surgery.
"Aspire Fertility helped us achieve our dream of having a baby."
We know the process of fertility evaluation and treatment can be intimidating and often confusing. The health care providers at Aspire HFI are dedicated to helping you understand all your options and explaining the steps involved. You will discuss your chosen treatment plan in depth at your initial consultation. To make this process even smoother and less stressful, we also have a dedicated team that we call our Third Party Reproduction Department. This experienced team helps patients using donor sperm, donor eggs, and/or gestational carriers in conjunction with the clinical teams located at each office in the Houston area.
The primary difference between using fresh and frozen eggs lies in the timing of the fertilization process. Fresh eggs are fertilized within hours of being retrieved and are then cultured in the IVF lab until they reach the blastocyst stage. After this, they're frozen until the intended parent is ready for embryo transfer.
In contrast, frozen eggs are not fertilized immediately. Instead, they are cryopreserved (frozen) shortly after retrieval. When the intended parent is ready for a transfer, six or more eggs are thawed, fertilized, and cultured to the blastocyst stage for immediate transfer. Additionally, embryos can also be frozen for later transfers. Both fresh and frozen eggs have similar success rates.
At Aspire HFI, we are proud to be one of the few practices in the entire country to maintain its own donor egg bank. Having an in-house egg bank means that we’ve already identified prospective egg donors, screened them, and retrieved their eggs. We can grant patients access to our extensive database and guide them through the donor selection process.
Aspire HFI can walk you through the sperm donor process, helping connect you with reputable sperm banks and guiding you through every step — from choosing a donor to creating a customized treatment plan to fertilization.
If you know someone you would like to serve as a gestational carrier, we can evaluate them to determine if they're well-suited to carry your child. If you haven't chosen someone yet or if your chosen carrier is not a suitable match for medical reasons, we collaborate with various agencies that can help pair you with someone that you will trust. Additionally, we work with lawyers who specialize in third-party reproduction to ensure a smooth experience and protect your legal rights as the intended parent.
The cost of fertility treatments can vary depending on several factors, including the type of treatment needed, the need for additional procedures or testing, and any insurance coverage. Aspire HFI is proud to offer various financing and financial assistance options for managing the costs of fertility care. We understand the financial strain that fertility treatments can impose and strive to make these options accessible to our patients.