Welcome to BabyMoon Family Stories, where I interview someone and discuss their experience with assisted reproductive technology (ART). In this first article, I interview Rachelle Myers-Nelson, who has been a gestational carrier (GC) for four journeys, two of which were for twins. Rachelle has always worked with gay intended fathers, and read more to learn about why she chose this path and how she has expanded her ‘chosen family’ through gestational surrogacy.

I am writing a book about IVF and surrogacy for queer men. None exists, and it’s time we have one. In this article, I draft a Table of Contents based on articles I have written, and then I highlight missing content that could be written to fill out the book. Read through and see if there are any topics that are missing or that you would like to have more of in the book.

More queer men are turning to IVF and surrogacy abroad. Why? Largely the prohibitive cost of the procedures and journey in the United States. So what are the costs abroad for queer intended dads? What is the future of international IVF and surrogacy for queer fathers? Read more to find out.

Since 2015, Thailand has banned all international surrogacy arrangements and had very strict regulations on domestic surrogacy for Thai couples. The country is proposing a first-of-its-kind legislation to reopen the country to international intended parents, including queer couples. This could set an interesting precedent for other previously popular surrogacy countries like India and Georgia who also now have international bans in place. Read more to learn the details of the proposed Thai legislation and what it could mean for queer intended fathers all over the world.

The Alabama Supreme Court has taken a huge step in essentially banning IVF in the state by stating that embryos are ‘children.’ This comes at a time when my husband and I are continuing our journey to fatherhood through IVF and surrogacy in California, and we are drafting a heartfelt thank you letter to our egg donor. This juxtaposition highlights the political, social, scientific divide we have in our country and the world at the moment. What is the way forward? For BabyMoon Family and I, it is to fight for gay, bi, queer men to have access to the science that allows them to build the rainbow families of their dreams.

Denmark is consistently ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world. A vibrant economy, strong social fabric, and generous social services that support parents and families are often cited as some of the main reasons for this population’s happiness. However, children born through surrogacy arrangements and their intended parents have not yet benefited from the celebrated Danish system. Until now. The Danish government has announced a new legal framework for international commercial surrogacy and domestic altruistic surrogacy that is the first of its kind in Europe. In this article, I will review the legislation and what it could mean for the rest of Europe.

In this third installment of the BabyMoon Family Journal Club, we review a recently published study on the trend of international intended parents (IPs) working with gestational carriers (GCs) in the United States between 2014 and 2020. What are the demographics of these international IPs? What does their journey look like compared to domestic IPs? What countries are they coming from? These are some of the interesting questions that are answered and discussed in this manuscript review.

My husband and I are on our first journey to fatherhood through surrogacy. This article (Part 2 of 2, see below for Part 1) suggests questions that any queer man should try and answer before starting the process of surrogacy. It’s a long journey, but if you think what is important to you and the creation of your family, it can be an even more enjoyable journey.

My husband and I are on our first journey to fatherhood through surrogacy. This article suggests questions that any queer man should try and answer before starting the process of surrogacy. It’s a long journey, but if you think what is important to you and the creation of your family, it can be an even more enjoyable journey.

Gender roles are modeled by parents and have a significant impact on children and how they navigate their world for their entire life. Gender roles in straight and gay couples are different. How does this difference affect parenting roles and responsibilities and impact their children, and what dynamic is best for children?

I am a gay physician who is pursuing surrogacy with my husband, and I was also raised Catholic. The Pope’s condemnation of surrogacy for assisted reproduction this week affected me more than I would have expected. In this article, I discuss the Church’s historic antagonism with science, the Church’s focus on reproductive technology, and how far removed the Pope’s statements are from the reality of surrogacy in the United States.

This continuation of the BabyMoon Family journal club explores the largest sample of gestational carriers (GCs) and investigates their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. What was it like to be a GC during the pandemic, and what can be done to improve the experience going forward? This article discusses the results and implications of this first-of-its-kind study.

Gestational carriers (GCs) are the limiting factor for any surrogacy journey. They are incredible, and they are also incredibly rare. What are the qualifications required to become a GC? And, using these criteria, about how many American women would qualify to become a GC? We go through the numbers in this article to come up with a general rough estimate of the number of women who would qualify and want to be a GC.

Ireland is working to propose a new piece of legislation that will regulate international surrogacy for Irish IPs. These recommendations come from the Irish Joint Committee on International Surrogacy, and in this article, I will review the positive and challenging aspects of the recommendations, as well as discuss the potential implications for international surrogacy in Ireland, the EU, and the world.

Recent experiments with mice have allowed two male mice to have genetically related offspring. This process is called in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG. This article discusses how IVG works, the results of the IVG experiments in mice, when IVG could be used in humans, and what this could mean for same sex couples and assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the future.

What’s it like picking an egg donor? This article is about the challenges and process that my husband and I have undertaken in approaching our selection of an egg donor. Choosing an egg donor is an exciting and important step in anyone’s journey to fatherhood through IVF and surrogacy, and I hope this article is helpful for anyone embarking on this stage.

Intravaginal culture (IVC) and ‘shared motherhood’ through a novel technology called INVOcell allows lesbian mothers-to-be to each carry their child. How does IVC work? Is IVC as good as IVF? What are the benefits and challenges of IVC? All these questions are answered in this article.

Many international intended parents (IPs) pay their hospital bill for their newborn in the United States with cash. What can they expect the bill to cost? How do they navigate the bill and negotiate with the hospital? Are there resources to help with this process? All this and more in this original BabyMoon Family article.

New scientific research shows that gay parents outperform straight parents in terms of health and well-being of the children, coparenting, and the overall dynamics of the family. In our first BabyMoon Family journal club, I review the study in this article.

How do men of the LGBTQ+ community identify? And how does this affect building a brand and business for them? This article discusses the challenges I have had to be both specific and inclusive in building BabyMoon Family.