The Pacific Northwest: A Magical Place For Gay Parents-to-Be
For many, getting pregnant is somewhat simple. But those in the LGBTQ+ community face many hurdles, both social and physical when wanting to start or grow a family. In many cases, tools such as fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies are utilized to help individuals and couples achieve their dream. In a survey conducted by the Family Equality Council in 2019, about 63% of LGBTQ+ people planning families reported that they expect to use assisted reproductive technology (ART), foster care or adoption to become parents. While access to care isn’t the same from state to state or even country to country, Oregon and Washington have become a magical place for the LGBTQ+ community to become parents through the use of ART.
Because Oregon has never had a ban on compensated surrogacy, it already draws intended parents from around the world. Now, as of January 2019, Washington is a surrogacy-friendly state, while many states still render surrogacy and donor agreements unenforceable. As the legal environment essential for safe surrogacy expands in the Pacific Northwest, options for family-building fertility care continue to grow as well. Since 2007, ART cycles using a gestational surrogate have almost tripled, from 1,957 cycles to 5,521 cycles in 2016, as reported by the CDC.
ORM Fertility, a globally recognized fertility center headquartered in Portland, Ore., has been leading the way in fertility surrogacy care for the past 20 years, completing around 15.5% of all U.S. donor egg + surrogacy cycles with tested embryos. With clinics in both Oregon (Portland) and now Washington (Bellevue), ORM Fertility continues to expand their footprint in the Pacific Northwest to help more patients receive compassionate, personalized care through the help of IVF, surrogacy, egg donation, genetic testing and more.
As an honored and trusted family-building source, ORM Fertility cherishes their work with LGBTQ+ families and is passionate about helping all families grow. Check out some of their upcoming free events to learn more about your family-building options through the help of ART and surrogacy care.
Event Information:
Free Egg Seeking Sperm Seminar
Thursday, June 20, 6 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
808 SW 15th Ave., Portland OR 97205
Led by Dr. Hurliman
Ideal for same-sex female couples, single women and anyone with eggs who needs sperm to grow their family.
Free Donor Egg + Surrogacy Discussion
808 SW 15th Ave., Portland OR 97205
Meet and join a discussion with an ORM egg donor, a former surrogate and reproductive physician, Dr. Hesla. This event is ideal for same-sex male couples, single men, and anyone that is interested in growing their family through donor eggs and surrogacy.
