Dear friends,
I would first like to remind our NY region members that tomorrow (March 28) at 6:30pm is our monthly meeting, and this month the topic is "peer advice on working with surrogacy agencies." Location (as always): The NYC LGBT Center, 208 West 13th Street (near 7th Ave.).
However this topic will for the first time get a completely new perspective due to the new feedback we received from your surveys! With more than 120 survey results from 9 countries (mostly parents, rest prospects), we were able to post some interesting ratings and reviews on major agencies and clinics that received the most responses. We created two rating tables (one for agencies and another for clinics) with overall score and highlights of results, and link to full reports (updated in real time) with much more, including comments and personal reviews. The four agencies that received a substantial number of reviews (8-17 each) are: Fertility Miracles, Circle Surrogacy, Tammuz and Family Source Consultants. Fertility Miracles currently ranks highest with a 9.9 score (for 11 reviews), and Tammuz so far has the lowest average journey cost (around $80,000). CT Fertility leads among clinics with 19 reviews and a score of 9.42. Among prospective parents, 8 are working with Fertility Miracles, 3 with Family Source and 3 with Reproductive Possibilities (many other IPs still did not select an agency). Please keep those surveys coming - the results will be updated in real time, and we will soon also add more reports about both the parent and prospective survey results.
Tomorrow at the meeting we will discuss these findings, and we hope to have present several couples who worked with different agencies to share their experiences. I also suggest you take a look, if you haven't yet, at the document we developed over the years called "Peer Advise on Working with Surrogacy Agencies". In the meeting we will use the document to discuss the pros and cons for using an agency, the typical roles and responsibilities of agencies, and tips for making your experience with an agency more successful. In our May meeting we will similarly hold a discussion about independent (and traditional) surrogacy.
I encourage additional parents who worked with agencies to join us and share their experience and insights!
Warm regards,
Ron Poole-Dayan
coordinator
About the group:
Center Families' Planning Biological Parenthood for Men group is part of the Men Having Babies peer support network for gay surrogacy fathers and fathers-to-be. The network offers seminars, exhibits, conferences and workshops in NY and Europe. The annual seminar and expo in NY in collaboration with Center Families started in 2005, and monthly workshops offer advice on the legal, medical, financial, social and moral aspects of surrogacy parenting for gay men. Starting in 2011 seminars also offered in Europe in collaboration with NELFA, FLG and ADFH.
* The network's website includes the NY group's meeting schedule, links to organizations workshops around the world, and online resources including articles, videos and a community recommended provider directory for surrogacy and egg donation agencies, clinics, and lawyers that have successfully worked with our members.
* For support and networking between meetings, go to the group's Facebook Page!
* You can watch surrogacy related video clips on the comprehensive new Men Having Babies Video library, including media reports and complete seminar programs from the last few years (latest one is October 2011).
