Abstract
The utilization of assisted reproductive technology (ART), particularly by same-sex
female couples (SSFCs), has increased over the past few decades. Alongside the increase
in use by lesbian women, there has also been an increase in the number of available
treatment options. The process by which SSFCs make the various decisions associated
with conceiving and parenting, however, has been largely overlooked. This review provides
an overview of the reproductive treatments available to lesbian women and specifically
highlights the “biological” and “social” obstacles they must overcome on their journey
to parenthood. This review also describes how a relatively novel treatment strategy,
co-in vitro fertilization, can give couples greater flexibility and provide them with
the unique opportunity of a shared biological motherhood.
Keywords
Same-sex female couples - lesbians - co-IVF - reproduction medicine - family building
