Treatment of same-sex female couples | ROPA method

Same-sex couples wanting children in Austria

Since 2015, lesbian couples in Austria have had the option of undergoing fertility treatment. One partner can have her eggs retrieved, fertilized in the laboratory with donor sperm, and then transferred back into her own uterus (IVF). This results in a pregnancy with a genetic connection to one of the two mothers. This classic method is regularly performed at KIWI Linz and is supported by the IVF Fund.

ROPA method

A special option for lesbian couples is the ROPA method (Recepción de Óvulos de la Pareja). In this method, the eggs of one partner are retrieved, fertilized in the laboratory with donor sperm, and transferred to the uterus of the other partner. This allows both women to be actively involved in the process of creating a child: one as the genetic mother, the other as the gestational mother.

The ROPA method is legally possible in Austria and is subject to the same conditions as other forms of artificial insemination, such as the use of donor sperm. The medical procedure involves hormonal stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization in the laboratory (IVF), and embryo transfer.

Careful counseling is particularly important for same-sex couples in order to clarify legal, medical, and organizational aspects. Modern reproductive medicine opens up a variety of ways for rainbow families to realize their desire to have children together and to involve both partners from the very beginning. The ROPA method is not supported by the IVF Fund and requires private payment for treatment.