For gay couples who want to have their own biological children, in-vitro fertilization, or IVF, allows one person to serve as a biological parent for the child, who will then be conceived using either a donor egg or sperm and, for same-sex male parents, a surrogate mother. For many, it serves as a suitable compromise, with the person who holds no biological connection to their child adopting them along with their partner, who holds custody as a biological parent