We welcome gay singles and couples from throughout the world who are in pursuit of growing their family. Many of our LGBTQ patients are visiting Portland for the first time and are pleased to find that they are in one of the world's most gay family-friendly cities.
Below:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Gay Male Couples
- Frequenstly Asked Questions (FAQ for Lesbian Couples
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Gay Male Couples
We hear that a lot of gay men are travelling to Portland to do Donor Egg/Gestational Carrier cycles at Oregon Reproductive Medicine. Why is that?
Three reasons. Oregon Reproductive Medicine has nearly unmatched success rates. Currently they are 85% for DE/GC cycles. Patients travel to seek treatment at ORM from all over the globe --- gay and straight --- because they want success.
Secondly, word is getting out about the extraordinary staff and service at ORM. Coming to Oregon Reproductive Medicine isn't like going to a big city infertility clinic where nobody even knows patients' names. Patients like to feel comfortable during this process and ORM feels like safe and nurturing place for our patients.
Lastly, Portland is a wonderful place for a vacation. Most all out-of-town patients take time to see the beautiful Northwest, including the Pacific Ocean, when they travel here to start or grow their family.
Portland is extremely gay-friendly. Our gay patients from Europe, the mid-East, Australia, and points beyond, all enjoy coming to The Rose City where they find friendly people, great restaurants and shopping and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
We are interested in doing a Donor Egg/Gestational Carrier cycle at Oregon Reproductive Medicine. How do we get started?
The first thing to do is to find a gestational carrier (a surrogate). We work with several excellent surrogacy centers and can offer you a referral if you like.
Then start looking at our in-house egg donor pool. You can view basic information about all of our donors here.
Once you register online for full access to our donor database, you will have access to the expanded profiles of all donors.
The next step is to contact us and make an appointment with one of our physicians for a new patient consult. These appointments can be done via phone or SKYPE if you do not live in the Portland area.
We'd like to reserve an egg donor. How do we do that?
Donors can be reserved after your new patient consultation. The $2,500 reservation fee will be applied to your account when your begin moving forward in the process.
We live in outside the United States and are wondering how long we'll need to be in Portland?
Just one or two days. Typically our male patients have a semen analysis done in their hometown to confirm the presence of sperm. After that most patients travel to Portland for a short stay. During the stay FDA-required blood and urine tests are done and a semen sample (sometimes two) is collected. The semen is frozen to be used at the time of fertilization, usually a few weeks or months later.
Often times our out-of-town patients will meet with their surrogate, attorney and/or their surrogacy agency while visiting Portland.
And don't forget to schedule a little vacation while you are visiting the Northwest. Click here for more information.
We are concerned about using frozen semen rather than fresh. We want to increase our chances of success.
The pregnancy success rates utilizing frozen semen samples are the same as using a fresh sample. By freezing the samples the process is much more likely to run smoothly, which in turn, should increase your over all chances of success.
Our gestational carrier lives in Los Angeles. How long will she need to be in Portland? Do we need to be there too?
You will not be required to be in Portland during the egg retrieval and transfer. But often times our gay patients do return to Portland to be with their surrogate.
The gestational carrier will need to make a one day trip prior to the cycle for pre-cycle testing and a consultation with the doctor. A trial transfer, Doppler ultrasound, and most likely a uterine and lining check will be done.
She will then need to return to Portland for the transfer. Carriers are typically in Portland for 3 full days. We like them to have a day of bed rest in Portland before they travel to return home.
All post-transfer follow up will take place in the gestational carrier's hometown.
What will all of this cost?
Typically cycling in a smaller city like Portland will cost less than working with a clinic in a bigger U.S. metropolitan area like New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago. There are many varying factors ( e.g. donor compensation, travel expenses, cycle costs, etc.) for each case. So it is difficult to provide an accurate estimate.
Having said that, a Donor Egg/Gestational Egg cycle at Oregon Reproductive Medicine is estimated to be $21,000.
Donor compensation is $7,000 (or $8,500 for a proven donor). The total estimate, including medications, pretreatment testing of the intended parents, donor and GC is approximately $35,000. This of course does not include GC agency fees, traveling expenses, PGD, ICSI, etc.
I have other questions. Who should I contact.
You can contact us and ask your questions here. Or go ahead and make an appointment. If you have specific questions about being a gay patient at ORM, travel to Portland, or any other inquiries please email our marketing director Jonathan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Lesbian Couples
Coming soon