Are you an intended parent or hopeful surrogate in Portland, Oregon? Do you have lots of questions about surrogacy?
If so, then you’re in luck! In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about surrogacy in Portland, including surrogate requirements, costs, compensation, fertility clinics, reproductive lawyers, and a surrogacy agency that will meet all your needs.
What Are The Surrogate Mother Requirements In Portland?
If you want to become a surrogate mother, then there are certain requirements that you’ll have to meet. These are put in place to protect the health of both the surrogate mother and the baby.
Like most states, Oregon follows the basic requirements from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). According to the ASRM, the surrogate mother should:
- Be between 21 and 41 years old.
- Already have a child of your own who was born healthy.
- Have had fewer than five (5) previous births and three (3) previous C-sections.
- Be in good overall health, especially the kidneys and heart.
- Have healthy blood pressure and a body mass index (BMI) between 19 and 33.
- Have no history of alcoholism or drug addiction.
- Be in good mental health and off antidepressants for at least one (1) year.
- Have no diseases she could transmit to the baby.
- Have legal residency or US citizenship.
- Not be receiving public benefits, including cash assistance or public housing.
These are just the basic requirements – if you want the full list, we cover everything you need to know in our blog post What Are The Requirements For Becoming A Surrogate?
It’s also important to note that some of these requirements will vary from agency to agency, although they’re usually not radically different. If you want to work with a specific surrogacy agency, make sure you get the full list from them!
RELATED ARTICLE: What Can Disqualify Me From Being A Surrogate?
How Much Does Surrogacy Cost For Intended Parents In Portland?
The cost of surrogacy for intended parents always depends on a number of factors, including how smoothly the pregnancy process goes. However, in Portland, intended parents can expect to pay anywhere from $80,000 to $130,000.
These costs include:
- Surrogate compensation (base salary)
- Extra expenses
- Fees for the surrogacy agency
Please note that the fees for the surrogacy agency include the legal costs, including drafting the surrogacy contract. Plus, Oregon allows you to establish legal parentage before birth, so you’ll also be able to file a pre-birth order.
However, these overall costs do not include the expenses that will be incurred during the fertility treatments, including the cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
How Much Do Surrogates Get Paid In Portland?
Oregon is a surrogacy-friendly state, just like California, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida. As a result, surrogates in Portland are in high demand, allowing them to receive a generous base salary for their work. Surrogates can get anywhere from $45,000 to $65,000, commensurate with experience.
However, this doesn’t include the additional compensation (sometimes called bonuses) that surrogates can receive. Various expenses will be covered, including:
- Monthly allowances
- Lost wages
- All medical procedures
- Maternity clothes
- Counseling
- Housekeeping
- Life term insurance
- Child care
All these details should be covered in the surrogacy contract, so make sure that everything is crystal clear before you sign it!
RELATED ARTICLE: How Much Do Surrogates Get Paid?
What Is The Surrogacy Process In Portland?
The basic surrogacy process for intended parents and surrogates goes like this:
- The intended parents go to a fertility clinic to start creating a viable embryo.
- Potential surrogates and intended parents apply with their chosen surrogacy agency.
- Both are screened by the agency to meet all requirements and pass background checks.
- The surrogacy agency will match the intended parents with the right surrogate.
- A surrogacy contract will be drafted and signed.
- The surrogate mother will be impregnated via embryo transfer.
- Pre-birth order paperwork can be filed at week 14 of the pregnancy.
If you want to learn more about Oregon’s process for establishing parentage and obtaining birth certificates, make sure you check out our blog post Surrogacy in Oregon: How Does It Work?
Does Portland Have Good Fertility Clinics?
Yes, it does! As a matter of fact, it has great fertility clinics. This is because Oregon is a surrogacy-friendly state and is actually a surrogacy “hot spot”. Intended parents from all over the world travel here to take advantage of that fact.
All of these fertility clinics offer a full range of fertility services, including ovulation induction, intrauterine insemination, and IVF:
Of these centers, ORM Fertility is probably the most widely known. In fact, they have three locations in Portland alone: Downton, Westside, and Southside. They also have satellite offices in China and Israel to serve intended parents traveling from these countries to Oregon.
Are There Good Surrogacy Attorneys In Portland?
Yes, there are some amazing surrogacy attorneys in Portland. They can help intended parents and surrogates with every legal step of the surrogacy process, from the surrogacy contract to the pre-birth parentage orders:
If you go through a surrogacy agency, they’ll find separate legal representation for both the intended parents and surrogates.
However, if you want another set of eyes looking at the documentation or you’d like the agency to retain someone specific, you could always choose from one of the reproductive lawyers listed above. You certainly have every right to choose your legal representation!
Can I Choose An Agency Outside Of Portland?
Whether you’re an intended parent or a hopeful surrogate, going through a surrogacy agency will make the entire journey much easier. They handle all the logistics, including screening, matching, legal requirements, contract negotiation, and communications.
If you’re based in Portland and are trying to find the best surrogacy agency, it’s important to know that you don’t have to choose an agency that’s based in the city. In fact, you don’t even have to choose one that’s based in Oregon!
Instead, you should choose an agency that best meets your needs. If you’re an intended parent, they should share your values and provide the most qualified surrogates to choose from. If you’re a hopeful surrogate, they should provide a competitive salary and bonuses package.
Surrogacy By Faith is the perfect agency for you! We’re based in Southern California, but we work with people from all over the country. For us, surrogacy is more than just a job: it’s a mission that we hold sacred. We work extra hard to ensure that each match between surrogates and intended parents is absolutely perfect.
If you want to get started, don’t wait another day! Fill out our inquiry forms for Intended Parents or Surrogates and be a part of the surrogacy miracle.