Doctors Note Increase in Same-Sex Couples Using IVF to Start Families

Amidst the debate over legalized same-sex marriages, more gays & lesbians
using medical technology for childbearing

LEXINGTON, Mass., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- More than three years after the
state Supreme Judicial Court paved the way for legalization of
same-sex marriages in Massachusetts, physicians at the Reproductive Science
Center (RSC) of New England say the number of same-sex couples seeking
assisted reproductive technologies has been on a significant and steady
increase.
"Each year we're seeing an annual increase of about 50 percent in the
number of same-sex couples coming to us for IVF to have their children and
build their families," said Dr. Samuel Pang, Medical Director of RSC. "I don't
know how much equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples has affected
the upward shift, but it seems to be the trend over the last three or four
years."
Same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts on May 17, 2004, as a
result of a ruling by the commonwealth's Supreme Judicial Court that it was
unconstitutional to allow only heterosexual couples to marry. While fertility
medical practices typically do not keep easily searchable records of patients'
sexual orientation, RSC physicians have since noted an evident rise in public
awareness of the IVF option among gay and lesbian couples as one pathway to
having children.
"One possible explanation for increased awareness," Pang said, "could be
publicity about the availability of assisted reproductive technology, and the
fact that assisted reproductive technology can help them have biological
children."
Lesbian couples can use sperm donors for conception and birth of
biological children. A male couple in Massachusetts needs an egg donor and a
gestational surrogate because the Supreme Judicial Court has issued a ruling
that they should be two different women. Some of these couples provide their
own egg donor or gestational surrogate, who are usually family members or
close friends. If they do not, Lexington-based RSC refers them to agencies
with expertise on such matters, which assist them in finding an appropriate
egg donor and gestational surrogate.
A 2001 Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 49 percent of gays and
lesbians who were not parents said they would like to have children someday.
According to the May 2000 edition of "Demography," published by the
Population Association of America, 21.6 percent of lesbian homes and
5.2 percent of male homosexual homes have children present. The American Civil
Liberties Union estimates that from 8 million to 13 million children are being
raised by gay or lesbian American parents.
"I have noticed that the physiological and psychological concerns of
prospective parents -- regardless of their marital status or sexual
preferences -- are pretty much the same," said Dr. Pang. "Procreation is a
natural human desire, and parenthood can be an intensely fulfilling experience
for anyone."
About Reproductive Science Center of New England
With eight locations throughout New England, Reproductive Science Center
is the seventh largest medical practice of its kind nationwide, known coast to
coast for its innovative patient care, advanced laboratory capabilities and
for success rates that are among the highest in the United States. Founded in
1988, RSC is led today by a team of six physicians -- four of whom are women,
making it one of the largest groups of female reproductive endocrinologists in
the Northeast. RSC is a member of IntegraMed America, an exclusive network
limited to the highest performing infertility practices in larger metro areas
around the United States. For more information, visit
http://www.rscnewengland.com.
SOURCE Reproductive Science Center of New England

Gary D'Orsi of Reproductive Science Center, 1-800-858-4832; or Sarah Stavros
or Ron King, both of Vanguard Communications, 1-877-382-2999, for Reproductive
Science Center of New England