Our Providers

All of our providers and care teams provide excellent care for LGBTQ+ patients.

The Center for LGBTQ+ Fertility was cofounded in 2021 by Dr. Stephanie Rothenberg and Dr. Darcy Broughton. Dr. Rothenberg is recognized as a leader in the field for transgender fertility preservation and has published multiple articles on the subject including in the New England Journal of Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Broughton was motivated to pursue training in fertility medicine with the goal of helping LGBTQ+ patients on the path to parenthood. She published one of the first studies on IVF outcomes in non-binary patients, as well as an opinion piece in Fertility and Sterility about the important distinction between sex and gender in fertility medicine.

Dr. Broughton

Dr. Rothenberg

Services & Programs

Our LGBTQ+ patients may need eggs, sperm, a gestational surrogate, or a combination of these to pursue family building.

Eggs + Uterus

Examples: cisgender female couples, couples with a partner that will provide eggs and a partner that will carry the pregnancy, any individual with ovaries and a uterus desiring to be pregnant

Donor sperm inseminations:

• Intrauterine Insemination, or IUI, is often the most straightforward way for a patient with a uterus to conceive. A partner’s sperm or donor sperm may be used.
• PNWF has helped many families conceive with donor sperm. We do not have our own donor sperm bank but work with many sperm banks around the United States and can help our patients navigate the process. Donor sperm from a bank has been pre-screened and is approved for use by the FDA.
• If patients want to conceive with sperm from a known donor (not an intended parent) there are testing and other requirements – please inquire about this option. We collaborate with Seattle Sperm Bank for known donor testing and sperm cryopreservation.

In vitro fertilization (IVF):

• With IVF, an egg is fertilized outside the body and a resulting embryo is transferred to the uterus for implantation. The eggs are removed from the body after about two weeks of hormonal medication and ultrasound monitoring, with a small procedure called an egg retrieval.
• IVF can be used by anyone with ovaries, and a partner’s or donor sperm can be used for fertilization. The embryo can be transferred into the uterus of the person providing eggs, or a partner’s uterus, or a gestational surrogate.

Shared IVF:

• This is an option for couples in which one partner wants to provide eggs and the other wants to carry the pregnancy.

Sperm Only

Examples: cisgender male couples, couples in which one or both partners want to provide sperm without a source of eggs or uterus

Donor egg IVF:

• This process begins with selecting an anonymous egg donor at PNWF or a known donor from a qualifying friend or family member.
• Eggs can be fertilized with one or both partner’s sperm, and embryos can be genetically tested prior to cryopreservation.
• When all complete, one of the cryopreserved embryos will be transferred into a gestational surrogate’s uterus.
• Pregnancy success rates are extremely high after this process, exceeding 80 percent.
• To learn more about our donor egg program please click here

Gestational surrogacy:

• PNWF has helped build many families with surrogacy. Our patients have benefited from the change in Washington law in 2019 allowing intended parents to compensate gestational carriers. Washington State residents no longer have to go out of state (at significant cost) to find gestational carriers. We work with several different agencies who can help our patients find the right fit for them.