Vice Ganda On Having A Baby: 'Gustong-Gusto Ko Na.' Here's What An OB-GYN Has To Say

Host and comedian Vice Ganda said he wants and is ready to have a baby, but things get in the way.

In a recent interview with the entertainment press, and as quoted by news sites Manila Bulletin and Inquirer, the It's Showtime mainstay said, "Mahirap magka-baby pero hindi ko siya maharap. Gustong gusto ko na."

Vice, who is regarded by his fans as Meme, said he is now ready to protect his child, should he and his husband Ion Perez be blessed with it. “Actually ang laking part sa buhay ko na ayokong i-subject yung anak ko sa cruel world like scrutiny sa pamilya, sa jowa. Pero now kaya ko ng protektahan ang anak ko. Gusto ko na pero hindi ko talaga siya maharap dahil ang dami-dami kong ginagawa."

The two got married in a secret wedding ceremony held in Las Vegas in October 2021.

READ ALSO: Vice Ganda Shares How He Came Out To His Family

This is not the first time Vice was about their plans of having a baby. In a report  by ABS-CBN Entertainment in July, Vice Ganda also revealed that it's one of their dreams. “Since I am being asked, just to answer the question, siguro another dream is magkaroon ng sarili kong anak. Pero hindi ko minamadali."

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"Hindi ko pini-pressure yung sarili ko na matanda na ako kailangan magkaroon ako ng anak. If it will happen, I will embrace the moment when it happens. Pero for now, okay lang din kung wala kasi ito ang binibigay sa akin na buhay ng Diyos,” he said in a Saridon Sarimax presscon.

Despite Vice Ganda's assurance that they are ready and capable to have a child of their own, netizens threw negative comments on this news. One user said, "Wala ka namang matris, hindi 'yan nabibili." Another user said, "In your dreams."

"There are now medical technologies that will allow conception between couples that are still your genetic offspring without the act of sex."

Is it possible for same-sex couples to have a child?

To enlighten our readers who think that same-sex couples can't have a child of their own, we asked Dr. Maynila Domingo, an obstetrician-gynecologist who specializes in maternal-fetal medicine at Manila Medical Center, and a member of the Smart Parenting Board of Experts, on their options and where they can start. This also applies to couples who have fertility concerns.

"There are several treatment options for couples who want to conceive," Dr. Domingo told Smart Parenting. 

She explained how they approach couples with fertility problems, and it starts with identifying the cause of infertility. "Once we identify, the treatment option will depend on the identified cause."

"We may start with giving ovulation induction agents, and then advise timed coitus or intercourse. In other instances, we do what we call intrauterine insemination, where we also induce ovulation in the female partner, but what's different is that we collect sperm from the male partner, and inject it directly into the female partner's genital tract to induce fertilization."

She also explained what in-vitro fertilization is. "We harvest the egg from the female partner, then we harvest sperm from the male partner, we combine them outside of the couple's body, so in the laboratory, and then once they are combined, they may develop into an embryo and that embryo will be implanted back into the female partner's genital tract or uterus, then pregnancy will proceed."

READ ALSO: Here's How Much Money You'll Need If You're Considering IVF

Another option she presented is third-party IVF or the use of surrogacy. In this procedure, either the donor egg or donor sperm or the egg and sperm of a couple are then implanted in another third-party uterus.

"So, if a same-sex Filipino couple really wants to have a child, na related DNA ng isa sa kanila man lang, they have to go outside the Philippines to do that."

Unfortunately, in the Philippines, Dr. Domingo clarified that third-party IVF is not yet done. It's not yet being offered in any fertility treatment facility.

READ ALSO: Umabot Sa Higit P50-M Ang Ginastos Ni Joel Cruz Para Sa Surrogacy Ng 8 Anak

"Technically, it's not illegal because there are no laws governing these practices but we have societies composed of doctor specialists in the field of reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) who are coming up with guidelines covering these practices."

She explained that all fertility centers in the Philippines will require a marriage certificate or proof of marriage before they proceed with any of the fertility treatments mentioned above.

"In short, in the Philippines, we practice IVF in the context of marriage," she said. Same-sex marriage has yet to become legal in the Philippines.

In other countries like the United States, however, there are laws that allow surrogacy or third-party IVF that will protect the surrogate and the couple.

"So, if a same-sex Filipino couple really wants to have a child, na related DNA ng isa sa kanila man lang, for example, two male partners they want sperm ng isa, but they need the donated egg from a third party, so they have to go outside the Philippines to do that."

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Is adoption an option?

Dr. Domingo added, "Now, an option for them in the Philippines is adoption through legal channels, but still there are some issues as to who will be written as parents on the birth certificate because, in the Philippines, it won't be allowed that both males will be written as parents of this child."

For those who are saying that couples with fertility concerns or same-sex couples can't have a child of their own, Dr. Domingo has this to say. "That's not true, there are now medical technologies that will allow conception between couples that are still your genetic offspring without the act of sex."

"Pero in the context of same-sex couples still in the Philippines, that's not yet being offered. Maybe in the future, it will be, the different sub-specialty societies in the PH are actually working on it, and trying to look for options for these couples," she said.