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 :)
Queer Parenthood in the UK (and the World) Has a Long Road to Acceptance
UK LGBTQ+ charity Just Like Us has released a report on the state of schools for queer parents and their children. The results are not great. However, there is a lot to be learned from this report. So check out the article here to see how schools in the UK and around the world can be made more inclusive, and how BabyMoon Family and others can continue the fight for acceptance of rainbow families.
Let’s Talk About ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection)
My husband and I are about to make embryos, and our clinic will be using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) as the procedure for fertilizing the eggs with our sperm. Because of that, I wanted to do a review of ICSI, covering what it is, how it works, who is it for, and how this all measures up with our own reproductive journey.
Our First Bump in the Road of IVF and Surrogacy
Unfortunately, we have additional delays in our journey to fatherhood. Read more to find out why, and how this has altered our approach to the process and our agency.
What if Cis, Queer Men Could Get Pregnant and Carry Their Own Babies?
It’s been a decade since the first human uterus transplantation that resulted in a successful pregnancy and delivery. Since that time, science has progressed, and researchers have begun discussions about how to approach uterine transplantation (UTx) for transgender women. If transgender women could then get pregnant and carry their own children, what about cis, queer men such as myself? The scientific and ethical implications are discussed in this article.
Navigating Fertility Clinic Success Rates in the United States
Are you starting your journey through assisted reproduction and overwhelmed with how to choose a fertility clinic? After all, how do you know which clinics are ‘good?’ Does ‘good’ to you mean how many procedure they do in a year, or is it more about their success rates? I recently discovered that the U.S. government has a law that requires the approximately 500 fertility clinics in the country to report their data on the patients they work with, the procedures they do, an the success of these procedures in a single database that is curated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In this article, I review the database, explain how to approach it, discuss what is missing - specifically for queer intended parents - and share my plans for a more queer-friendly database.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): Essential Questions and Answers
Intrauterine insemination (IUI). What is it? Who is it for? How much does it cost? How well does it work? How does it compare to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracervical insemination (ICI)? So many fertility acronyms, and this article has them all and all the answers to important questions about IUI.
5 Inspirational Quotes and Stories about IVF and Surrogacy
In the last year of researching and writing about IVF and surrogacy, I have come across many inspirational stories. This article highlights five quotes from incredible stories of love, chosen family, and progress for assisted reproduction all over the world.
Queer Dad Social Media Influencers in Brazil
This article reviews a recent publication in the Science & Public Health Magazine of Brazil, which discusses gay dad social media influencers in Brazil. The two rainbow families profiled pursued fatherhood through adoption or assisted reproductive technology (ART). They have overcome tremendous cultural stereotypes and prejudice to share their stories, and their experience and leadership in the face of adversity are shared with queer fathers in the United States and around the world.
Complications with Surrogacy Journeys Outside the U.S.
With the trend of more queer intended fathers pursuing IVF and surrogacy outside the United States, I wanted to cover some of the negative news around journeys in these destinations. This is not meant to describe the universal experience of intended parents pursuing international surrogacy, but rather to highlight and inform regarding the potential challenges and risk with these types of journeys.