Pacific Reproductive Services

Pacific Reproductive Services

Kathy in Virginia is a new mother. So is Andrea in San Diego. Kathy is a lesbian with a partner and Andrea is heterosexual and single. Yet both chose a lesbian-founded sperm bank - Pacific Reproductive Services - when they decided to become parents. Their major reason for doing so: A desire to find a donor insemination practice that would not only meet the highest professional standards but also be fully supportive of this new direction in their lives.

Pacific Reproductive Services was founded in 1984 by Sherron Mills, a women’s health care practitioner, specifically to serve the special needs of women planning alternative families - whether single or partnered and regardless of sexual orientation. While lesbians were most urgently in need of a progressive sperm bank in the face of widespread public and medical discrimination, PRS recognized that all women who wished to become mothers outside the traditional married, heterosexual model also often faced significant barriers and limited support.

For a woman planning an alternative family, a sperm bank that is fully supportive and understanding of her unique needs can make the insemination process easier. Pacific Reproductive Services understands the societal, cultural, legal and financial issues all types of families face in the decision to pursue artificial insemination with donor sperm. Our mission and commitment is to provide a warm, caring environment particularly sensitive to women forming alternative families.

Many lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual women planning alternative families want their children born of sperm donor insemination to have a right to fuller information about their biological, cultural and social lineage. Today, in addition to our large and diverse selection of anonymous sperm donors, PRS has the nation's largest number of such "willing to be known" donors. Any contact is at the child's option only and donors are never given the identity of the mother or couple.

As you begin the planning process to become a mother through donor insemination, a key consideration is the standard of professional excellence of the sperm bank you select. High sperm quality standards and rigorous donor medical and genetic screening have made PRS a recognized leader in the sperm banking field, exceeding the requirements of the Food & Drug Administration and the major national medical peer group organizations. In addition, our directors are members of the National Association of Tissue Banks, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society.