With IVF, a lesbian couple can have a baby and can benefit from the
ROPA method in many ways. This fertilization method creates shared motherhood. Both women can actively participate in the process to achieve full term pregnancy and bring a healthy and lovely baby back home.
What is the ROPA method?
ROPA stands for
Reception of Oocytes from the Partner and is a method lesbian couples use to become parents.
The
ROPA method can be summarized in three steps:
- One of you starts the process of in vitro fertilization.
- The oocytes (or eggs) are fertilized with a donor’s sperm.
- Once fertilized, the embryos are transferred to the other partner.
This kind of arrangement benefits the couples in many ways. We shall discuss some of them for you.
What are the benefits?
Of course, situations vary from one couple to another, but the ROPA method has been helpful to most lesbian couples. These are some benefits.
1. It strengthens your partnership.
Once you have decided on this approach, both of you will feel a stronger sense of partnership. Both of you will have equal roles, both dependent and valuable to each other. This shared goal will make you feel closer than ever before.
2. You’re both mothers.
You will both be biological moms – one will give the eggs while the other will carry the baby. Having this physical connection will make your bond tighter and your motherly instincts will intensify.
3. You’ll both have the same level of excitement.
Both your roles will have equal importance so it is natural that you’ll both be equally excited about the whole process. Your levels of excitement will be the same. One will not feel left out or lesser than the other.
4. Both families approve of the baby.
It is hard enough to convince your families of your lesbian relationship, which is sometimes hard for them to accept. So if one of you gets pregnant through traditional IVF, your partner’s family might not be too happy that their daughter is not biologically involved in the process.
With the ROPA method, both your families know that you both are the baby’s biological mothers and their grandchild will be very much “their own” as it is their in-laws”.
5. It’s a common technique.
The ROPA method has been used by IVF specialists for years so you can rest assured that it is commonly done. The specialists are familiar with it and know the best ways to approach the treatment.
What are the procedures in the ROPA method?
The
ROPA method involves both women in the IVF process. One will be the biological mother while the other will be the gestational mother. Deciding on the roles each one will have depends on either personal reasons or medical reasons. As long as you both discuss it well and understand what need to be done, then the procedure can start.
Medical Treatment
The woman giving the oocytes will undergo the same process as a conventional IVF treatment. First, she will have ovarian stimulation. The specialists will monitor her condition through ultrasound scans and hormonal blood tests. Once the follicles reach the appropriate size, the mature oocytes are retrieved from the ovaries. The retrieval is simple and quick, not more than 15 minutes, and done under sedation.
Sperm Preparation
With
sperm donation, sperm from an anonymous donor is prepared in the laboratory. It is then mixed with the oocytes for fertilization. At Dunya IVF, cutting edge IVF technology.
The EmbryoScope+®️, a high capacity time-lapse incubator, continuously monitors and records your embryo’s growth while reducing the disturbance and stress on your embryos. The RI Witness®️, a fail-safe management system that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), detects and monitors all activity in the IVF laboratory.
Fertilization and Embryo Transfer
The woman who will receive the embryo starts treatment to prepare her uterus to increase the chances of embryo implantation. Once the gestational mother is ready, the transfer takes place. Around 15 days after the embryo transfer, a beta hCG test will confirm the pregnancy.
