When Stephen and Jun decided they were ready to start their family, they were both excited and anxious.

While anxiety is common for couples undergoing ART treatment, same-sex couples face the additional anxiety of coordinating both an egg donor and gestational surrogate.

They took their time assembling the right team to build their family, knowing they wanted twins–a boy and a girl. Using an agency, they found a mixed race egg donor who matched the mix between Stephen and Jun, who was born in the Philippines.

They also wanted a surrogate who was willing to carry twins, had children of her own, and had no concerns about carrying babies for a same-sex couple. The surrogate they found was both a twin and in a same-sex relationship.

“She had all right qualifications, and we felt immediately comfortable when we met her,” Stephen said.

The agency also referred them to several clinics, and the couple ultimately chose HRC and Dr. Frederick for a few reasons: Dr. Frederick had helped other same-sex couples conceive and she’d invested in the Bonding Room at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center for couples whose children are born via surrogate at the hospital.

Because Stephen and Jun knew they wanted both a boy and a girl, they opted for gender selection, which determines the sex of the embryos before transferring them to the surrogate. They were fortunate enough to have several embryos and one of each gender, so they chose to transfer one of each.

Dr. Frederick told them there was an 80 percent chance that one embryo would take, and a 50 percent chance that the second embryo would implant. When both were successfully implanted, the couple and Dr. Frederick were thrilled.

When at first you succeed, you must try again is this couple’s motto. The couple has already gotten a thumbs up from the donor and surrogate about a second round. In the next few years, their family of four might be a family of six–a though that excites Stephen and Jun…and probably scares them, too!