Reproductive outcomes in lesbian couples undergoing reception of oocytes from partner versus autologous in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Abstract

Introduction: The utilization of assisted reproductive technology (ART) by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, inter sex, and queer community, and specifically lesbian couples, has substantially increased over the past decade.1,2 Depend ing on their reproductive history, age, and preference, same sex female couples may elect to undergo donor intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) using autologous oocytes and donor sperm. Couples may also opt for co-in vitro fertiliza tion (co-IVF), also known as reciprocal IVF or Reception of Oocytes from Partner (ROPA). This is a reproductive in tervention in which one woman in the couple contributes her oocytes, which are fertilized with donor sperm to generate embryos that are transferred to the uterus of the second woman, who will carry the pregnancy and deliver the child. Lesbian couples in Spain have had legal access to treatment with donor sperm since 1977, after the establish ment of the first sperm bank, whereas ART in Spain was first regulated in 1988.3 However, at that time, the partner of the woman undergoing the treatment had no legal rights toward the child. Some years later, the legalization of same-sex marriage in Spain (Law 13/2005)4 and legislation allowing the utilization of embryos generated by ART by a woman or by her partner (Law 14/2006),5 ultimately made it possible for both women in a lesbian couple to participate in the pregnancy plan.