Ask the Pros: LGBTQ+ Family Building with Dr. Allison Bloom
On “Ask the Pros” with 6ABC's Action News, Main Line Fertility's own Dr. Allison Bloom sat down to talk about something close to her heart: fertility care and LGBTQ+ family building. The conversation was candid, warm, and full of the kind of practical insight that only comes from someone who's lived it.
The Landscape Is Changing
More people are talking openly about fertility care than ever before, and that shift shows up in the numbers. The gap between LGBTQ+ millennials and their non-LGBTQ+ peers who plan to grow their families is narrowing — and a growing number of individuals and couples are turning to assisted reproductive technology to bring home a biological child. Dr. Bloom sees this every day in her practice, and she says the momentum is real. "More people are recognizing that fertility treatment can support many different paths to parenthood," she shared during the segment. "It's not one-size-fits-all, and it never should be."
That perspective is personal for Dr. Bloom. She and her partner spent more than a year in fertility treatment before successfully conceiving through IVF — an experience that gave her a firsthand understanding of the emotional and physical weight that treatment can carry, not just for the patient, but for everyone involved.
What Are Your Options?
Whether you're just starting to explore or ready to take the next step, there are several paths available depending on your goals and circumstances.
Donor sperm IUI is often a first step for those with a uterus, placing a sperm sample directly into the uterus around ovulation. Donor sperm IVF goes further: eggs are retrieved, fertilized with donor sperm, and the resulting embryos are transferred into the uterus — a route many choose for family building, genetic testing, or an underlying fertility diagnosis.
For those using donor eggs, a donor's eggs are fertilized and transferred to the intended parent or a gestational carrier. Reciprocal IVF is a meaningful option for couples where one partner wants to provide the egg and the other wants to carry the pregnancy. And for intended parents who need additional support, working with a gestational carrier — through an agency experienced in the legal, financial, and medical process — is another well-established path.
A Practice Built on Inclusive Care
At Main Line Fertility, the team is trained in LGBTQ+-affirming care and is committed to never assuming a patient's family structure or journey. However your family comes together, you deserve care that sees and supports you fully. Ready to explore what's possible? Schedule a consultation with our team today.