LGBT Surrogacy is a Great Way to Have a Child You Have a Biological Connection To
A 2013 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA reported that 48 percent of LGBT women under age
fifty are raising a child under age eighteen, compared with just 20 percent of LGBT men. With the increased popularity of LBGT surrogacy these numbers will be changing.
Gestational surrogacy is a big investment in time and money. So, there are quite a few things you need to consider before starting the process. One of the first things to do when planning to build your family through gestational surrogacy is to decide who will you have assist you and who is going to have the biological connection to your child. You are going to need eggs and a surrogate to carry the fetus to term. But, do they need to be the same person?
When surrogacy first started the egg donor and the surrogate often were the same person. However, that limits your options and process can take longer because you need to find a surrogate who has the physical characteristics you are looking for. With gestational surrogacy, the eggs are provided by an egg donor you select. Whereas, the gestational surrogate carries the child, who is genetically unrelated to her, to term. Egg donors are young, under 29, and a lot of surrogates are older and have already had successful pregnancies. It’s rare for the same person to do both at this point. Thus gestational surrogacy is a more streamlined and quicker process.
Once you’ve decided to proceed with gestational surrogacy, there are some questions you need to ask the agency or medical center before you get started
- What is your success rate for gestational surrogacy process?
- On the average, how many embryo transfers take on the first try?
- Do you have former clients that I can talk to?
- What kind of support services do you offer egg donors, surrogates and clients?
- How are surrogates chosen for your program?
- What kind of screening do the surrogates go through?
- How involved can we be in the pregnancy, going to doctor’s appointments, etc.?
- What does all this cost? If the first implantation doesn’t take what does the second round cost?
- Do you work with a diverse client base? If not, what are your parameters?
- How supportive is your agency towards surrogacy for LGBT community?
- What makes you stand out from other agencies?
What’s Next
Once you’ve selected a medical center or agency, pick your egg donor and get on the list for a surrogate. It is noteworthy that California is an LGBT community friendly state and offers many great surrogacy agencies. Selecting the egg donor is usually fast because medical centers and agencies have lists of available donors. They often also have an Egg Bank where you can select and withdraw eggs when you’re ready. Egg donors usually have extensive biographies on files but you usually don’t meet the donor, especially if you’re using banked eggs.
Finding the right surrogate can take longer and it’s a real matching process. This means, you have to be comfortable with her and she has to like and be comfortable with you. This is the woman who will be carrying your child. So, finding the right one who is responsible and makes you feel comfortable is worth the wait. When your team is in place it’s just a matter of time before your dream of a family of your own comes true.
RSMC is a complete, physician run medical center and surrogacy agency from California. We have all the services required for LGBT people, or anybody, to build a family. For more information on our LGBT surrogacy program and/or other programs, please contact us at 858-436-7186 or email at info@fertile.com.
