Research Describes U.S. Women Who Become Gestational Carriers
There is little research on the women who become gestational carriers or surrogates. What is their life like? What is their educational background? Do they work? Do they keep in touch with the intended parents (IPs)? Why do they become gestational carriers? New research attempts to answer these questions, and this BabyMoon Family article reviews the results of the study and discusses implications for future research and policies related to surrogacy.
‘The Assessment’ Movie: Parallels for Queer Intended Parents
‘The Assessment’ is a new movie staring Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Olsen set in a not too distant, dystopian future where having children has striking similarities to what queer intended parents have to go through today. In this article, I discuss these similarities, and how my husband and I experienced the movie while currently on our first journey to fatherhood through IVF and surrogacy. Warning: Movie spoilers ahead.
Save Rainbow Families, Vote for Kamala Harris
To any undecided U.S. voters on this eve of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, please don’t hurt queer people who only want to have a family. Don’t hurt people who come from any non-traditional family. Don’t hurt people who form their own chosen family. These families are valid. They exist, and to deny them that existence like Trump and the Project 2025 conservatives do only serves to hurt America and the world. Please vote for Kamala Harris for president, and if you have any reservations, please read this article.
The World Needs More LGBTQ+ Family Building Medical Research
Underrepresented but growing. This summarizes the current state of medical research on queer family building from the largest U.S. conference on assisted reproduction. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) had its annual conference in Denver Colorado from October 19th to the 23rd, and there was an abstract presented that reviewed the last decade of research on LGBTQ+ family building. In this week’s BabyMoon Family article, I review the abstract and share a summary of some previous BabyMoon Family articles on other scientific publications related to rainbow families.
Embryo Donation and Queer Intended Parents
I love hearing about queer people creating rainbow families in any ethical way. This week, I read an article where a gay couple in Pennsylvania are pursuing their dream of fatherhood through ‘non-genetic surrogacy.’ This term meant they were leveraging embryo donation to have children. This got me thinking: How common is embryo donation? How accessible is it for queer IPs? Would my husband and I donate our unused embryos? Read more to find out.
Posthumous Procreation: Should We Be Having Children After We Die?
The Dehli High Court has granted permission for parents of a deceased man to use his sperm to have a grandchild. Should this type of posthumous procreation be allowed? What are the ethical standards that we should have for this type of procreation? How could this impact assisted reproductive technology (ART) for queer intended parents? Read more to find out.
Argentina May Ban International Surrogacy
Argentina has launched an investigation in the practice of surrogacy an other assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the country, especially by foreign intended parents (IPs). In this article, I go over the current state of Argentinian regulations for ART and surrogacy, and I discuss the findings from the ongoing investigation. Will Argentina follow in the footsteps of Thailand and ban surrogacy for international IPs? How can you ensure you are embarking on an ethical surrogacy journey abroad? Read this article to find out more.
'The Modern Family Show': An Emotionally Intelligent, Inclusive Family Building Conference
Read all about my experience of 'The Modern Family Show,' a unique rainbow family building conference in London, UK.
Anticipation for ‘The Modern Family Show’ in London
This weekend, I am thrilled to be attending ‘The Modern Family Show’ in London, which is a unique conference that offers educational content on all types of rainbow family creation. Some of the topics include: In vitro fertilization (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI), surrogacy, fostering, co-parenting, fertility preservation, solo parenting, and egg/sperm donation. If you are interested in attending, read more and use the BabyMoon Family discount link in the article. I hope to see you there!
Not All Queer Parents Are Treated Equally
While the majority of recent queer celebrity baby announcements have been met with more joy than animosity, this, unfortunately, has not been the case for Joseph and Nathan Hughes. The case of the Hughes demonstrates that not all queer parents are treated equally, and it also highlights queer people's fight for equality and rainbow families and how much further we still need to go.
The Racial and Ethnic Disparity and Homophobia in U.S. Sperm Banks
A new scientific journal article described the racial and ethnic breakdown of sperm donors and compared this to demographics from the United States census as well as sperm donor recipients. The results are surprising from a racial and ethnic perspective, but I also learned from this article that men who have sex with men (MSMs) are prohibited from donating to sperm banks in the U.S. In this article, I discuss the implication for this and how assisted reproductive technology (ART) in general needs to be more queer friendly.
The Mattachine Family: The Rainbow Family Movie Everyone Must See
The Mattachine Family is a new queer classic film. It addresses the intricacies and challenges of queer people starting rainbow families in a beautiful and engaging way. While I have critiques regarding how surrogacy for queer men is portrayed, I believe this is an incredible film that every LGBTQ+ person considering staring a family should see and enjoy.
Are Gestational Carriers at Increased Risk of Pregnancy Complications?
As a physician, clinical research, and intended gay dad, I am thrilled whenever there is a new study on gestational carriers (GCs). However, sometimes news articles sensationalize medical results, taking the conclusions out of context. In this article, I want to review a recent study on medical complications in GC pregnancies to highlight what the study results are actually showing, and what we can learn from this research.
Should a Country’s Maternal Mortality Rates Impact Selection for an International Gestational Surrogacy Journey?
Choosing where to embark on an international gestational surrogacy journey is challenging. There are many factors to consider in order to ensure an ethical journey. One factor could be the maternal mortality rate (MMR) of a country. In this article, I review the latest World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) MMR data and compare different destinations. The results may be surprising and should possibly factor into your decision on where to have your surrogacy journey.
Excitedly Preparing to Speak at Medium Day 2024
I’m both excited and anxious to speak this week at Medium Day 2024. I have been writing weekly articles on Medium and the BabyMoon Family website for over a year, and this will be the chance to share some of those ideas and the vision for BabyMoon Family as a queer intended parent matching platform and community.
The Embryonic Olympics: Making Our Embryos for IVF
After over a year of planning, we have our embryos! This article details the stages in this journey, describing the challenges, stress, and results. This was not what we were expecting, but we are thrilled to have completed what I am now calling the Embryonic Olympics.
Procreative Consciousness and Family Planning of Swedish Queer Men
‘Procreative consciousness’ is the state of mental preparedness that queer men have to achieve before actually planning for fatherhood. This article dives into the procreative consciousness of queer Swedish men and their non-linear journeys to fatherhood, as discussed in a research publication from 2020. Surrogacy in Sweden is not permitted. The discussion of how this impacts queer men, the influence of the Swedish and international media on surrogacy, and the role that BabyMoon Family can plan in helping queer men in Sweden and across Europe pursue their dreams of rainbow families are all discussed.
My Right Time to Become a Parent
There is no right time to become a parent. I do, however, believe there would have been a wrong time for me to become one. In this article, I discuss my path to parenthood, including why and how I finally feel ready in my 40s to become a father. I don’t think my story is completely unique, and I believe that more and more people will join the ‘old’ parents club in the future.
Matching Queer Intended Parents to Make Rainbow Families
The BabyMoon Family vision is beginning to take shape. This is the first stage in the development of a LGBTQ+ reproductive center for all rainbow families. Queer intended parents (IPs) want to work with each other as donors and gestational carriers (GCs) for their reproductive journeys. BabyMoon Family now has a way to try and connect these people to help ‘chosen family’ work together to build ‘rainbow families.’ If you are a queer IP who wants to work with other members of the LGBTQ+ community to build your family, read more to find out how to apply today.
Struggling to Showcase Ourselves to Potential Gestational Carriers
It is time for our journey to move to the next stage: Matching with a gestational carrier (GC). A key part of this process involves us writing a letter to potential GCs, explaining who we are and what we are looking for in a relationship. It’s really just a first impression, but it has implications for our journey as well as our child for the rest of his/her/their life. No pressure :)