2SLGBTQI+ Family Building
A pathway to parenthood designed just for you.
For those in the 2SLGBTQI+ community, the pathway to parenthood can be both exciting and overwhelming. At Tripod, we’re proud to support every person, every path, and every step of the journey. Through thoughtful design, inclusive policies, and ongoing training, we strive to create a safe space where people of all gender identities and sexual orientations can have the opportunity to achieve their dream of building a family.
Whether you’re in an 2SLGBTQI+ couple, a single parent by choice, or a heterosexual couple dealing with infertility, we have many family building pathways you can choose from.
You can be assured that our clinic meets strict compliance with the Health Canada Regulations for donor assisted reproduction.
For those assigned female at birth, Reciprocal IVF is a pathway that allows partners to participate biologically and emotionally in a pregnancy. One partner completes an IVF cycle and provides the eggs to create an embryo. The other partner completes an embryo transfer cycle and provides the uterus for the pregnancy.
What to expect
Preparation & Education
- Reciprocal IVF involves the use of donor sperm to create your embryos. Meet with our donor team to learn an overview of the donor process, timelines and fees. We want to ensure we answer all your questions so that you move forward feeling confident and at ease.
Sperm Donor Selection & Screening
- Selecting your donor is an incredibly important, deeply personal decision and we are available to assist you in any way you need. We have a list of trusted sperm banks for you to choose from.
- Once you have selected a donor, we begin a thorough assessment following the Health Canada Regulations. This includes medical, physical, and genetic screening.
Reproductive & Legal Counselling
- Independent reproductive and legal counselling is required for intended parents and known sperm donors.
IVF Cycle
- Once you’re ready to begin fertility treatment, our nurses will guide you through the process of Reciprocal IVF using donor sperm.
- For the partner who will be genetically linked to the child, the IVF cycle spans over 10-14 days. During this time period, they will be taking injectable medication to grow multiple eggs and suppress ovulation. There will also be 3-6 morning appointments to monitor their progress with blood tests and internal ultrasounds. Once the eggs reach an optimal size and number, there will be a final injection to prepare for the egg retrieval.
- The Egg Retrieval is a 15-30 minute procedure inside our Operating Room. At Tripod, an Anesthetist is present to provide deep sedation and ensure they are comfortable and free of pain.
- A few hours after the egg retrieval, an embryologist will combine the eggs and donor sperm in hopes of fertilization. Your embryos will be closely monitored and grown in our time-lapse incubator over the next 5-7 days. Our embryology team will contact you regularly throughout this week to let you know how your embryos are doing.
Frozen Embryo Transfer Cycle
- The other partner will now undergo a frozen embryo transfer (FET) to achieve a pregnancy.
- The FET cycle involves taking some pills for 2 weeks to prepare the lining of the uterus. They will also receive progesterone injections (or use suppositories) to help the embryo implant and support the pregnancy.
- During the transfer procedure, your embryo is placed inside a catheter and carefully inserted into the uterus under ultrasound guidance. The procedure is painless and takes around 10-15 minutes.
Pregnancy Test
- We can do a pregnancy blood test 12-14 days after the embryo transfer. If the test is done at our clinic, we’ll have results to you on the same day.
Family building with donor eggs is a great option for those who don’t have eggs, have low egg quantity or quality, or have a genetic condition that they don’t want to pass on to their child.The chances of achieving a successful pregnancy are typically higher with donor eggs.
What to expect
You can choose an egg donor from an egg bank (frozen eggs), egg donor agency, or within your circle of family and friends. Your egg donor could choose to be known (open identification) or anonymous. Since there are so many variables when growing your family with donor eggs, we have a donor team dedicated to supporting you through every step of this process.
Preparation & Education
- Meet with our donor team to learn an overview of the donor process, timelines and fees. We want to ensure we answer all your questions so that you move forward feeling confident and at ease.
Donor Selection
- We have a list of trusted donor agencies and egg banks to choose from. Selecting your donor is an incredibly important, deeply personal decision and we’re available to assist you in any way you need.
Donor Screening & Assessment
- Once you’ve selected a donor, we begin a thorough assessment following the Health Canada Regulations. This includes medical, physical, and genetic screening. If you’re using a surrogate, the sperm provider(s) must also be screened.
Reproductive & Legal Counselling
- Independent reproductive and legal counselling is required for both the donor and the intended parents.
Creating Embryos with an Egg Donor
- If you’re using frozen donor eggs, our IVF lab will select a day to thaw your eggs. A sperm sample will be needed on this day.
- If you’re using a live (not frozen) donor, our nurses will guide your donor on how to complete their blood and ultrasound monitoring and take medication. You’ll get regular updates throughout the cycle until we reach the egg retrieval. On the day of the egg retrieval, a sperm sample will be needed.
Fertilization & Embryo Culture
- An embryologist will combine the eggs and sperm in hopes of fertilization. Your embryos will be closely monitored and grown in our time-lapse incubator over 5-7 days. Our embryology team will contact you regularly throughout this week to let you know how your embryos are doing.
Embryo Transfer
- Your embryos are frozen and stored until you’re ready to proceed with an embryo transfer. The embryo can be transferred into the uterus of an intended parent or surrogate.
Pregnancy Test
- We can do a pregnancy blood test 12-14 days after the embryo transfer. If the test is done at our clinic, we’ll have results to you on the same day.
Family building with donor sperm is a great option for those who don’t have sperm, have low sperm count or motility, or have a genetic condition that they don’t want to pass on to their child.
What to expect
Fertility treatment can be done with an anonymous sperm donor from a sperm bank or a known sperm donor within your circle of family and friends. At Tripod, we have a donor team dedicated to supporting you through every step of this process.
Preparation & Education
- Meet with our donor team to learn an overview of the donor process, timelines and fees. We want to ensure we answer all your questions so that you move forward feeling confident and at ease.
Donor Selection
- We have a list of trusted sperm banks for you to choose from. Selecting your donor is an incredibly important, deeply personal decision and we are available to assist you in any way you need.
Donor Screening & Assessment
- Once you have selected a donor, we begin a thorough assessment following the Health Canada Regulations. This includes medical, physical, and genetic screening.
Reproductive & Legal Counselling
- Independent reproductive and legal counselling is required for intended parents and known sperm donors.
Fertility Treatment
- Once you are ready to begin treatment, our nurses will guide you through the process of IUI, IVF, or Reciprocal-IVF using donor sperm.
Pregnancy Test
- We can do a pregnancy blood test 12-14 days after the IUI or embryo transfer. If the test is done at our clinic, we’ll have results to you on the same day.
A gestational carrier (also known as a surrogate) allows you to be biologically linked to your child even if you don’t carry the pregnancy. Through IVF, your own sperm or egg (or donor sperm or egg) are used to make an embryo which is transferred into the surrogate’s uterus. The surrogate will carry and deliver your child but will have no genetic relation to the child and will not be the intended parent of the child.
What to expect
You can choose a surrogate from a surrogacy agency or within your circle of family and friends. Since surrogacy in Canada is completely altruistic, finding a surrogate through an agency can sometimes take 1-2 years. While you wait, you could complete an IVF cycle to have embryos ready. Once you have found a surrogate who is ready to grow your family, the process to an embryo transfer takes around 3-4 months.
Preparation & Education
- Meet with our surrogacy team to learn an overview of the surrogacy process, timelines and fees. We want to ensure we answer all your questions so that you move forward feeling confident and at ease.
Finding a Surrogate
- We have a list of our trusted surrogacy agencies which you can choose from. If you know someone personally who is willing to be your surrogate, we’ll assist in determining if they would be medically suitable.
Surrogate Screening & Assessment
- Once you’ve selected a surrogate, we begin a thorough assessment to ensure they are medically suitable to carry and deliver a baby.
Reproductive & Legal Counselling
- Independent reproductive and legal counselling is required for both you and your surrogate.
Embryo Transfer
- Our nurses will guide your surrogate through the process of an embryo transfer. In the weeks before the transfer, your surrogate will take medication to prepare the uterus to receive an embryo.
- During the transfer, your embryo is placed inside a catheter and carefully inserted into the surrogate’s uterus under ultrasound guidance. The procedure is painless and takes around 10-15 minutes.
Pregnancy Test
- We can do a pregnancy blood test 12-14 days after the embryo transfer. If the test is done at our clinic, we’ll have results to you on the same day.
Our IVF and Fertility Treatment Success
600+
Babies born
4.4
Star google rating
8
Years of creating families
Meet our Donor & Surrogacy Team
Khalil and Yhulann are our team members dedicated solely to support, coach, and cheer you on through every step of your journey. They are available to meet with you at the clinic or virtually. If you wish to learn more about our donor & surrogacy program, you can call our clinic to schedule a complimentary consult to speak to either of them. Together, Khalil &Yhulann have assisted intended parents from all over the world reach their dreams of building a family.
