Surrogacy for gay couples and LGBTQ+ families
Two dads, two moms, single fathers and single mothers, and parents by choice build their families with Lily Baby Surrogacy. We coordinate the egg donor, the surrogate, the clinic, and your legal parentage as one plan, in the states where your rights as a parent are protected from the first day.
A full-service agency since 2015, welcoming LGBTQ+ intended parents across 43 states.
Welcoming, from the first conversation
We have worked with LGBTQ+ intended parents since 2015. Our coordinators, our clinical partners, and the surrogates in our program want to carry for your family. You will not be asked to explain yourself, justify the family you want, or accept a thinner version of the service. The matching, the case management, and the medical coordination are the same ones we give every intended parent.
Gay and two-dad families, two-mom families, single parents by choice, and transgender parents all build their families here. Whatever your path needs, an egg donor, a sperm donor, a surrogate, or all three, we will map it with you.
- No qualifying differentlyThe same program, the same coordinator, the same care you would get if you walked in any other way.
- Surrogates who choose your familyWe match with carriers who specifically tell us they want to carry for LGBTQ+ parents, so support is the starting point, not a hurdle.
- One plan for donor and surrogateWe coordinate the egg or sperm donor alongside the carrier, so nothing is left for you to stitch together yourself.
- Clear about the lawWe place only in states that protect your parentage, and we tell you plainly which ones those are.
Surrogacy for gay and two-dad families
For two dads, the path runs through two people: an egg donor and a gestational surrogate. You choose an egg donor whose profile fits what matters to you. Her eggs are fertilized in the lab with sperm from one or both partners, the resulting embryos are screened if you choose, and a screened surrogate carries the pregnancy.
Many couples ask whether both of them can be biological fathers. You can. Some couples fertilize half the eggs with each partner's sperm and transfer them in turn, so each father has a genetic child, sometimes as full biological siblings in one pregnancy, sometimes across two. There is no single right way to do this, and we talk through what fits your family before anything is decided.
How egg donation works
Surrogacy for single fathers, single mothers, and parents by choice
Becoming a parent on your own is a deliberate, planned decision, and surrogacy is well suited to it. A single father works with an egg donor and a surrogate. A single mother who cannot carry works with a surrogate, using her own eggs or a donor's. We coordinate the donor and the carrier together so the medical and legal pieces move as one.
The legal groundwork for single parents is well established in the states we serve, and your name goes on the birth certificate as the sole legal parent. You will not be treated as an edge case. Single parents are a real and growing part of who we work with, and the program supports one parent as fully as two.
See how the process worksHow surrogacy works for LGBTQ+ families
Every family's medical starting point is a little different, but the path follows the same shape: an egg donor, a surrogate, and the legal steps that name you as the parents. Here it is, from the first call to the day you bring your baby home. The full version lives on our how it works page.
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First conversation
We listen to what your family looks like and where you live, then map the donor and legal pieces specific to your path. No script, no pressure to commit.
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Choose an egg or sperm donor
Most two-dad and single-father families work with an egg donor, while many two-mom families use one partner's own eggs. We help you choose from our donor pool based on what matters to you, and we coordinate the medical and legal side so rights are settled in advance.
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Create and screen embryos
At the IVF clinic, eggs are fertilized with sperm from the intended father or a donor. Embryos can be genetically screened before transfer if you choose to.
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Match with a surrogate
We introduce you to a screened gestational carrier whose values and preferences fit yours, and who wants to carry for an LGBTQ+ family. You meet, you ask the real questions, and the choice is always yours.
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Settle legal parentage
Before any transfer, your reproductive attorney files for a parentage order so you are recognized as the parents from birth. The surrogate is not a legal parent.
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Transfer and pregnancy
An embryo is transferred to your surrogate, and your case manager keeps the clinic, the carrier, and you in step through the whole pregnancy.
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Birth and home
You are at the birth, named on the birth certificate, and you take your baby home as their legal parent.
Are we the legal parents?
Yes. In gestational surrogacy the surrogate has no genetic link to the baby, and the law is built to recognize the intended parents, not the carrier. For same-sex couples and single parents in the states we serve, this is settled ground, not new territory.
The main tool is a parentage order. In many states it is a pre-birth order, signed by a judge before delivery, that names you on the birth certificate and tells the hospital to treat you as the parents from the first minute. Where a pre-birth order is not available, your attorney uses a post-birth order, or in some cases a confirmatory adoption, to lock the same result in place.
You work with your own reproductive attorney, licensed in the state that governs your case, so the advice is independent and genuinely yours. Because the rules differ by state, it helps to see how surrogacy laws work where you live.
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Your attorney advises you on your specific situation.
In plain language
- Pre-birth order
- A court order signed before the birth that names you as the parents on the birth certificate.
- Parentage order
- The legal step that establishes you, by name, as the child's parents.
- Second-parent adoption
- An extra layer some couples add so both parents are recognized in every state, for travel and peace of mind.
- Egg or sperm donor
- A screened donor whose eggs or sperm help create your embryos, with parental rights waived in advance.
How Lily Baby supports inclusive families
The match is the headline. The coordination underneath it is what keeps a year-long process from falling on you.
Donor and surrogate under one roof
We coordinate the egg or sperm donor and the gestational carrier as a single plan, so the medical and legal pieces line up instead of colliding.
Surrogates who want this
Carriers in our program tell us up front that they want to carry for LGBTQ+ families. We match on that, not around it.
One case manager
A named person who knows your file, answers when you call, and stays with you from the first consult through the birth.
Clinic coordination
We sit between you and the IVF clinic, lining up screening, transfer, and monitoring so dates and records do not slip through the cracks.
Legal connections
Introductions to reproductive attorneys experienced with same-sex and single-parent parentage, in the state that governs your case.
Insurance review
A clear read on what an existing policy covers and what needs a dedicated plan, before the pregnancy is underway.
Questions from LGBTQ+ intended parents
Can gay couples have a baby through surrogacy?
Yes. Gay couples build their families through gestational surrogacy with the help of an egg donor and a surrogate. One or both partners can provide sperm, and in the states we serve both fathers can be recognized as the legal parents from birth. It is one of the most common paths we coordinate.
Can single men and single parents use surrogacy?
Yes. Single fathers work with an egg donor and a surrogate, and single mothers who cannot carry work with a surrogate using their own or a donor's eggs. Single-parent surrogacy is legally well established in the states we serve, and you are named as the sole legal parent on the birth certificate.
How does surrogacy work for two dads?
An egg donor provides the eggs, and a surrogate carries the pregnancy. The eggs are fertilized in the lab with sperm from one or both fathers, and the embryos are screened if you choose. Many couples create embryos from each partner so both can have a biological child, sometimes in the same pregnancy and sometimes across two. We coordinate the egg donor and the carrier together.
Is California a good state for LGBTQ+ surrogacy?
Yes. California is one of the clearest states in the country for LGBTQ+ parents. Its gestational surrogacy statute makes properly formed agreements enforceable and lets intended parents establish parentage before birth, regardless of marital status or sexual orientation. We are based in Rancho Cucamonga and have coordinated California matches for LGBTQ+ families since 2015. See surrogacy in California for how the law and the process work here.
Which states can we work with?
We work with LGBTQ+ parents across the 43 states we serve, and we pay close attention to how each state's parentage law protects same-sex and single parents. New York, Florida, Texas, and Rhode Island have established surrogacy laws but sit outside our service area right now, and Louisiana's statute sharply limits compensated surrogacy, so we do not place there. If you live in one of those states, reach out and we will talk through your options. You can also read our surrogacy laws overview and the state-by-state map there.
Let's talk about your family
Every family belongs here. Send a note or call, and a real person will walk you through your path to parenthood.