Making a baby when you're a pair of lesbians isn't easy.

Making a baby when you're a pair of lesbians living in Beijing is even harder.

And making a baby when you're a pair of lesbians living in Beijing and looking for sperm overseas is really, really tough.

Unmarried women are not officially allowed to buy sperm from authorised sperm banks in China.

But when Hong and Yuan Yuan first started their hunt for some "good quality" sperm they thought it would be easy.

"We found these two sperm banks online, one in California and one in Denmark, where you could search under donor eye colour and build," says Yuan Yuan, a 33-year-old lesbian who has been living with her Beijing girlfriend for about three and a half years. "We were so excited. We thought this is going to be so easy."

It was just before the Dragon Boat Festival in June that the lesbian couple decided it was time to have a child. They had been together for well over three years, they both thought their relationship had reached that stable stage perfect to support a family and with Hong just about to turn 39, time was running out. Hong wants to bear the child.

But then they found out that it was illegal to import frozen sperm into China. No problem, they thought, they can go to Hong Kong and pick it up there. But after a little bit of research they found out that they weren't allowed to import sperm there either.

And so they thought of India.

"When we heard the Danish sperm bank has a branch in India we planned to go there," says Yuan Yuan who comes from Changsha. "But then we found out the sperm bank is not allowed to sell to non-Indians."

With a bit more research Britain seemed to be their only choice.

"Finally we found out that Britain lets anyone buy sperm and we found a 'broker' that would fix us up with a donor and deliver the sperm for about 1,500 pounds," she adds.

But in the end the two women decided it would be too expensive. It might take several "go's" before Hong could fall pregnant and they just couldn't afford to take so many trips to Britain and foot all the other sperm broker fees.

"We decided finally that we didn't want to use a sperm bank," laughs Yuan Yuan.

In the end it wasn't only the thought of the money and the hassle that put them off buying sperm. They wanted the baby's father to have a name.

"We just thought what are we to tell the child when he/she asks us who the father is. We don't want to say your father is a serial number."

So now the two women are looking for a man - gay or straight - who would be willing to donate his sperm. He is welcome to play a role in the child's life.

"He can have visiting rights for sure but we don't want him to have legal rights," Yuan Yuan says.

It's unusual but not unheard of in China for gay and lesbian couples to have a family. Last year a British and Chinese lesbian couple had a baby with the help of a Chinese friend who donated his sperm. A lesbian couple in Guangzhou, who call themselves the "bean family" have also had a baby together, while a gay male couple in Sichuan province, Li Lunzuo and Ju Jiazhong, are regularly interviewed by Chinese media about their 21 year "marriage" together and their adopted son.

And so, since the summer they have been posting adverts on gay and lesbian websites looking for a donor, "age between 21-45, height six feet or over, with no genetic diseases."

Any luck so far?

"We've had one reply," says Yuan Yuan, her brow furrowed. "But he keeps saying he's too busy to meet. We are nervous that he is not serious."

And even after Hong gets pregnant their troubles don't end there.

"Hong needs to get married to a man before she gives birth," explains Yuan Yuan. If she has the baby as an unmarried mother then the child cannot get Beijing identity papers and Hong, who works for a government work unit will lose her job as punishment for having a child out of wedlock.

Ironically, before Hong met Yuan Yuan she was married for several years to a man. She left him after she fell in love with Yuan Yuan.

"I never wanted a child with him because, well, I was too busy with my job and I knew at the back of my mind he wasn't the man for me," Hong says.

But despite all the hurdles ahead the two women appear optimistic and relaxed. They have faith.

"A few months ago Hong saw a fortune teller," says Yuan Yuan. Hong starts smiling. "She told her you will definitely be successful although you will encounter lots of difficulties along the way."

If you wish to help Yuan Yuan and Hong, please contact them at ababyplan@gmail.com .