International Options to Consider When Building Your Family as a Single Parent
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Silvana Chedid on August 12, 2026
Single parents pursuing fertility treatment abroad often have more legal and clinical options than they expect, particularly in countries where policy has kept pace with modern family structures. Brazil is one of them: its national medical regulator explicitly includes single intended parents in its eligibility rules for assisted reproduction, and its clinics routinely combine donor programs, IVF, and legal support in one coordinated plan.
Building a family without a partner already means navigating decisions most fertility guides do not address directly, from donor selection to how parentage will be recognized once you return home. At Chedid Grieco, we work with single intended parents through every stage of assisted reproduction, combining nearly 30 years of clinical experience in São Paulo with consultations based in Miami, Florida. This guide covers why single parents consider international care, which treatment paths are available, what the legal landscape actually requires, and how to evaluate a clinic before committing to treatment abroad.
Why Single Parents Consider Building a Family Internationally
Single intended parents often face narrower access to fertility treatment in their home countries, whether from insurance policies that exclude unmarried patients or from state and national rules that were not written with single-parent family building in mind. Even where treatment is legally available, many domestic clinics have limited donor programs or multi-month waitlists for donor eggs and sperm.
Cost is a second major factor. IVF procedures outside the United States can cost a fraction of comparable US pricing, and even after factoring in flights, lodging, and time away from work, many single parents find that a full treatment cycle abroad, including donor gametes when needed, still comes in below a single domestic cycle.
Donor availability is the third driver. Some countries maintain larger, more diverse donor pools with shorter waiting periods and more flexible matching criteria than what is typically available in the US, which matters significantly for single parents who need both egg and sperm donors or who are searching for a donor with specific ancestry or physical characteristics.
Legal Eligibility for Single Parents Considering Care in Brazil
The clearest advantage Brazil offers single intended parents is not cost. It is legal certainty. Brazil regulates assisted reproduction nationally through the Federal Council of Medicine, and its current ethical resolution explicitly lists single individuals among the patients eligible for IVF, egg donation, sperm donation, and related procedures, with no marital status requirement attached. That is a meaningfully different starting point than the US, where IVF regulation is split across federal agencies and individual state laws, and eligibility for single patients can vary by clinic policy as much as by law.
That said, being eligible for treatment is not the same as having parentage automatically recognized once you return home. Every country handles the legal recognition of a child conceived through donor gametes differently, and US states are not uniform on this either. We recommend reviewing how the legal side of cross-border reproductive care works before finalizing a treatment plan, and consulting an attorney familiar with international parentage law in your home state before you travel.
Treatment Options Available for Single Intended Parents
Most single parents pursuing international care use one or a combination of the following paths:
- In vitro fertilization: IVF using your own eggs when ovarian reserve allows, often paired with donor sperm.
- Egg donation: recommended when using your own eggs is not medically viable, available through our egg donation program in Miami and São Paulo, drawing on the basics of egg donation outlined by Johns Hopkins Medicine.
- Intrauterine insemination: a less invasive option using intrauterine insemination for single parents with viable eggs who need donor sperm only.
Some single parents, particularly single men, also pursue gestational surrogacy, though surrogacy law varies far more by country and by US state of residence than IVF or egg donation eligibility does, making it the path most likely to require dedicated legal counsel before any medical steps begin.
Choosing a Clinic and Evaluating Its Regulatory Standing
Not every international clinic operates under the same oversight. Look for FDA registration, a recognized tissue-bank license, and clear public information about a clinic’s protocols and outcomes. Chedid Grieco holds both FDA registration and a New York State Department of Health tissue license, a combination held by only a small number of facilities outside the United States. Understanding what egg retrieval actually involves before you travel also makes it easier to judge whether a clinic’s day-to-day protocols match its stated standards.
Reputation matters as much as paperwork. Look for reviews from other international and single-parent patients specifically, and ask directly how many single intended parents the clinic has treated. A clinic with real experience in this population should have clear, specific answers about donor matching, legal documentation support, and how it coordinates care for patients traveling without a partner.
Planning the Financial and Logistical Details
Extended travel for treatment involves more than the clinical plan. Visa requirements, accommodation for a two-to-three-week stay, medical insurance coverage while abroad, and time away from work all need to be mapped out well before your first appointment. Many international clinics, including ours, provide coordination support to help single parents manage these logistics without adding unnecessary stress to an already significant decision.
Financial planning should account for more than the base treatment fee. Medications, donor program fees, and the possibility of a second cycle if the first attempt is unsuccessful all factor into a realistic budget. Some clinics offer package pricing that covers multiple attempts and support services at a reduced combined rate, which is worth asking about directly during your first consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Building a Family Internationally as a Single Parent
Can single people legally pursue IVF or egg donation in Brazil?
Yes. Brazil’s Federal Council of Medicine explicitly includes single individuals in its eligibility rules for assisted reproduction, with no marital status requirement. This is a more consistent starting point than in the United States, where eligibility for single patients can vary by clinic policy and by state.
Will my home country recognize me as the legal parent after treatment abroad?
That depends on your home country and, in the United States, your specific state, and it is a separate question from whether you were eligible for treatment. Single parents should confirm parentage recognition and required documentation with an attorney before traveling, since eligibility rules and parentage law are not the same thing.
Is international fertility treatment actually more affordable for single parents?
Often yes, even after including travel and lodging, largely because donor gamete programs and treatment cycles abroad are frequently priced well below comparable US options. Costs vary by treatment plan and by how many cycles are needed, so a specific comparison for your situation is the most reliable way to know.
What if I need both an egg donor and a sperm donor?
Some international donor programs maintain larger, more diverse pools for both egg and sperm donation, which can shorten wait times and expand matching options for single parents who need both. Availability still depends on your specific criteria, so this is worth discussing directly with a clinic’s donor coordination team.
Can single men pursue parenthood through egg donation and surrogacy abroad?
Some single men pursue this path, but it depends heavily on the surrogacy laws of the specific country and often the intended parent’s home state as well, since surrogacy law varies far more than IVF or egg donation eligibility. This is the path most likely to need dedicated legal counsel before any medical steps begin.
Contact Chedid Grieco to Learn More About Our International Fertility Programs
With nearly 30 years of experience, FDA and New York State Department of Health tissue licensing, and a track record that includes nearly 9,000 babies born through our care, Chedid Grieco has supported single intended parents through egg donation, IVF, IUI, and coordinated donor programs built around each patient’s specific situation.
We offer consultations in Miami, Florida, and online, with treatment conducted at our licensed facility in São Paulo, Brazil, and our multilingual team can walk you through what building your family as a single parent could look like given your circumstances. Learn more about how we support patients traveling for care on our fertility tourism page, or contact us to schedule a consultation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Director, Chedid Grieco Reproductive Medicine Laboratory
Dr. Silvana Chedid has led the Chedid Grieco Reproductive Medicine Laboratory in São Paulo since 1995 and directs the Center for Pelvic Endoscopy and Human Reproduction at Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa. She is a member of the American and European Human Reproduction Societies.
