Lesbian couple looking at options TTC in the next year or so

Hi all,

We are a lesbian couple (26 and 28) living in Melbourne, Victoria and we really want to have a child/children in the next year or two. We will never consider NI so our options are AI at home or IVF at a clinic using donor sperm. We are very new to this and before we decide to embark on the journey we want to make sure we know all our options and educate ourselves on the best possible option for us.

We have been considering both At home insemination using donor sperm or IVF at a clinic using donor sperm. We are only limited by budget; as clinic insem seems to be quite expensive! We were just wondering if anyone on here might be able to give us a run through on home insem vs. Clinic insem (advantages/disadvantages etc) and where in Melbourne there might be an affordable clinic/place to buy home insemination stuff/how to go about choosing a sperm donor etc

Starting a family is something we both want to do so badly and we want to make sure we know about the processes and best options and that it all feels right for us. Any help, stories, info or tips would be really appreciated :)

Xx

Firstly, I suggest you obtain some legal advice from a family law specialist with significant experience in lesbian conception, so you are fully aware of the legal implications of the choice you are making.

Secondly, do your research as to different clinics' regulations about donor sperm, including known/unknown donors and Australian/international options.

Thirdly, best wishes and welcome to BB!

:

---

Firstly, I suggest you obtain some legal advice from a family law specialist with significant experience in lesbian conception, so you are fully aware of the legal implications of the choice you are making.

Secondly, do your research as to different clinics' regulations about donor sperm, including known/unknown donors and Australian/international options.

Thirdly, best wishes and welcome to BB!

---

Thank's for the advice, and the warm welcome :)

Welcome to BB!

There is a specific forum for Gay & Lesbian parenting on here, there used to be lots of great stuff on there but a lot of it seems to have been deleted as people have moved on & the site upgraded. Have a look though!

Have you heard about Maybe Baby? It's a group for prospective queer parents to meet & talk though stuff, we have found it to be a great group, google search it & see if you can find the contact information. They meet in Melbourne once a month or so.

We went through Melbourne IVF for all our kids & they have been fantastic, the expensive is a biiiiiigggg consideration but it certainly protects you from a lot of legal issues to do with known sperm donors.

Good luck & let us know how you go!

Hey,
Thanks so much for your reply! I have googled the maybe baby group and I cant really find the contact details or info to the group meetings/discussions anywhere :-/
I would love to chat to other couples in our position to share inspiration/ideas but haven't had much luck.
Would you be able to link me to the website at all? I'd appreciate it so much :)
Thanks again for your post :)

Loving this forum so much already =)