Blog
Oct 13, 2026
Starting a family is a dream for many, and female same-sex couples today have several ways to become parents with the help of fertility treatment. Thanks to modern reproductive medicine, many women can fulfil their wish for a child, regardless of sexual orientation. In this guide we go through the path to parenthood for female same-sex couples, from fertility assessment and insemination to IVF, choosing a donor and legal parenthood.
In Sweden, female same-sex couples have the same right to assisted reproduction as other couples. The most common route is insemination (IUI) with donor sperm: the chance of pregnancy is about 16–18 % per attempt, and most pregnancies happen within 3–4 treatments. If insemination does not work, or there are medical reasons, the next step is IVF with donor sperm. Before treatment, the partner who will carry the pregnancy has a fertility assessment, and you both meet a psychologist.
Yes, for female couples. In Sweden, female same-sex couples have had the same right to assisted reproduction as heterosexual couples since 2005, both in regional public healthcare and at private clinics. The most common treatment is insemination with donor sperm, but in some cases IVF (in vitro fertilisation) may be an option depending on the woman's age, fertility and medical circumstances.
For many, the journey to parenthood is both exciting and emotional. Understanding the options and what treatment involves can make the process easier and more predictable.
One of you carries the pregnancy, and her eggs are used. You decide together who that will be, often based on age, health and the results of the fertility assessment. For a sibling, you can choose for the other partner to carry the next pregnancy.
Before treatment starts, a fertility assessment is often recommended. The aim is to assess the conditions for pregnancy and to choose the treatment method that gives the best chance of success.
A fertility assessment includes:
By assessing fertility early, any obstacles can be detected and treatment adapted to individual needs.
Before any treatment with donor sperm, you meet a psychologist and a fertility specialist. The conversation is part of the medical and psychosocial assessment that Swedish law requires for treatment with donated gametes, and it covers the legal, psychological and ethical aspects of treatment. You also get support in how to tell your child about the donor.
For many female same-sex couples, insemination (IUI) is the first form of treatment. The treatment involves placing donor sperm in the womb around the time of ovulation.
Insemination is a relatively simple and gentle treatment that can be done in a natural cycle or with mild hormone stimulation to optimise the conditions for pregnancy.
An insemination cycle usually follows these steps:
The chance of pregnancy with donor sperm insemination is about 16–18 % per attempt, and most pregnancies happen within 3–4 treatments. For female same-sex couples the results are often even better, because the lack of sperm is often the only reason a pregnancy has not happened.
Factors that affect the chance of success include:
If pregnancy does not occur after insemination attempts, or if there are medical reasons, IVF may be another option.
In IVF, the ovaries are stimulated with hormones so that several eggs mature at the same time. The eggs are collected and fertilised with donor sperm in the laboratory. An embryo can then be transferred to the womb.
With IVF, the chance of pregnancy per embryo transfer is about 30–40 %, depending among other things on age. Usually one embryo is transferred at a time, and other good-quality embryos can be frozen for another attempt or for a sibling later on.
An important part of fertility treatment is the choice of sperm donor. Under Swedish law, only open (identity-release) donors are used. This means that the child, once mature enough, has the right to find out who the donor is.
Our donors are healthy men aged 20 to 45 who have been through extensive medical, genetic and psychological testing. Ovumia has its own donor bank, and if a suitable donor is not available there, sperm can be ordered from international partners. One donor may contribute to children in no more than six families in Sweden.
Under Swedish law there is no right to choose the donor's appearance. The doctor makes the final choice based on medical suitability and the child's best interests, and the donor's details are kept in a special record for 70 years, so that the child can later find out who the donor is.
Ask us before treatment starts about the possibility of using the same donor for a future sibling. If you have frozen embryos from IVF treatment, they can be transferred to the partner whose eggs were used, when you want to try for a sibling.
Yes. When treatment takes place at a clinic licensed to use donor sperm, the partner who does not give birth can become a legal parent without adopting. This requires that you were married, cohabiting or registered partners at the time of treatment and that she consented to the treatment.
If you are married, the spouse of the person giving birth is automatically the child's other parent, regardless of gender since 2022. If you are cohabiting, the partner who did not give birth confirms her parenthood, through the family law unit (familjerätten) of your municipality or digitally via the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) once the child is born. Other rules may apply after treatment abroad, so check in advance.
Going through fertility treatment often involves many emotions. For same-sex couples it can also raise questions about parenthood, genetic connection, donor information and how you want to talk to your future child about how they came to be.
Children conceived with donor sperm have the right, once mature, usually after the age of 18, to learn the donor's identity. Many parents start telling early and in a way that suits the child's age, so that the story becomes a natural part of the family's history. In your conversation with the psychologist you get support in how to go about it.
It is also common for the partner who is not carrying the pregnancy to think about her role. Talk openly with each other, and feel free to bring your questions to us. Read more about donor treatment for couples.
The time to pregnancy varies from person to person. Some become pregnant at the first insemination, while others may need several treatments or IVF.
Several factors affect the timeline:
That is why it is important to have realistic expectations and an individual treatment plan.
At Ovumia there are no waiting lists and no referral is needed, so you can book your first doctor's appointment directly. Thanks to our own donor bank, treatment can often be planned without waiting for a donor.
The cost of insemination with donor sperm consists of the price of the donor sperm and the treatment itself, and IVF also involves medication, among other things. Current prices are in our price list.
In regional public care there are age limits and other conditions, and waiting times can be long. Ovumia Stockholm has an agreement with Region Stockholm for publicly funded fertility assessments and fertility treatments. Read more about region-funded IVF and the conditions that apply.
Female same-sex couples today have good chances of becoming parents through insemination or IVF with donor sperm. The journey often starts with a fertility assessment that helps identify the best way forward. With the right support, medical expertise and an individual treatment plan, the dream of starting a family can come true.
Dreaming of becoming parents? Start with a fertility assessment, where we go through your circumstances and make an individual plan, or read more about fertility treatments with donor sperm.
Here we answer the questions we are asked most often by female same-sex couples who want to have a baby.
With donor sperm the chance is about 16–18 % per attempt, and most pregnancies happen within 3–4 treatments. The chance depends mainly on the age of the partner carrying the pregnancy, but also on ovarian reserve, ovulation and how well the fallopian tubes work.
One partner's ovaries are stimulated, her eggs are collected and fertilised with donor sperm in the laboratory, and an embryo is transferred to her womb. IVF usually becomes relevant if insemination has not led to pregnancy after a few attempts, or if the fertility assessment shows that IVF gives a better chance.
Yes, with donor sperm. One woman carries the pregnancy after insemination or IVF, and both can become legal parents when treatment is done at a licensed clinic in Sweden.
That is decided individually. As most pregnancies happen within 3–4 inseminations, many move on to IVF together with their doctor if pregnancy has not happened after several attempts, and sooner if age or the assessment suggests it.
At a private clinic the cost consists of the price of the donor sperm and the treatment itself. In Swedish regional public care you pay patient fees. Ovumia's current prices are in our price list.
Not freely. Under Swedish law there is no right to choose the donor's appearance, and the doctor makes the final choice based on medical suitability and the child's best interests. All donors are identity-release donors, so the child can learn the donor's identity once mature.
No, not if treatment takes place at a licensed clinic and you were married, cohabiting or registered partners at the time. Married couples are automatically both parents, and cohabiting couples confirm parenthood after the birth.
No, not at Ovumia; you can book your first doctor's appointment directly. In regional public care it can vary depending on where you live.
That is for you to decide. Many couples base it on age and the results of the fertility assessment, because the chance of success decreases with age. For a sibling, the other partner can carry the next pregnancy.
Medically reviewed by Balsam Haseeb, specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology, Ovumia Sweden · Last updated 2026-09-24.
