General – Gestational Surrogacy
What is a gestational Surrogate?
A gestational Surrogate, also known as a carrier, is a woman who agrees to carry and deliver a baby for another couple or individual. During this surrogacy arrangement, the eggs used to produce embryos are not donated by the Surrogate. Since the eggs will be harvested from one woman and transferred into another, this technique involves the use of IVF (in vitro fertilization). IVF is a procedure in which female eggs are fertilized in the lab and some of the healthy embryos formed are transferred into the Surrogate’s womb.
Who works with a gestational Surrogate/carrier?
A gestational carrier is used when a hopeful parent wishes to have a baby and either lacks a womb or is suffering from a health condition that would make carrying a pregnancy harmful. In addition, a Surrogate may be recommended for women with a history that indicates an issue with her womb, like repeated pregnancy losses or IVF failures or when there is no female partner (i.e., single men or gay couple).
Who can become a parent through our surrogacy program?
Anybody can. At the surrogacy agency, we are willing to help you actualize your parenthood dream, regardless of your gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status. Our surrogates come from US states that have friendly legislation and do not exclusively limit surrogacy to conventional family models. This means that unlike in some other countries where surrogacy is allowed, anybody can become parents with our California-based, physician-managed agency. Other countries don’t allow same-sex couples, single parents, unwedded couples, or intended parents who require a double donor to have a baby via surrogacy. This is the reason why the United States is a go-to destination for surrogacy journeys for intended parents all around the globe. Surrogacy can be a good option for homosexual couples and single parents to grow their families.
How long does the entire surrogacy process take?
The duration of this process depends on a number of factors. We usually inform hopeful parents to plan on one and a half year from the day they register with our agency until they have a baby. However, it can take longer or be quicker based on the course of the IVF treatment and the legal requirements that are involved.
How do I start the process
Your surrogacy journey starts with a initial consultation with our highly-experienced team. During this consultation, you will have the chance to tell us your fertility story and why you have decided to pursue surrogacy to build your family. We will also discuss our surrogacy process, available pricing plans, and answer any questions you may have. Depending on your circumstances and preferences, our team will give you an accurate price estimate and an idea of what will be involved in your surrogacy process. You can click here to sign up for one.
How much does it cost to use a gestational Surrogate?
There is no straightforward answer to this question since the total cost is dependent on a lot of factors. Hence, intended parents need to have a complete understanding of the various services needed during surrogacy and the average base pay for Surrogates. This will help you to fully understand the overall cost of surrogacy. At our physician-managed agency, we take great pride in the transparency of our services and pricing. We are going to give you a precise price quotation immediately after the consultation, and the quotation will depend on your situation and preferences.
What are the success chances with surrogacy?
There are many factors that impact the success rates of a surrogacy pregnancy, such as the health of the surrogate and the embryos’ viability and health. At surrogacy agency, we make sure that all surrogates are already screened before they are presented to intended parents. We, as your IVF clinic, can help you to determine your best chances of achieving a successful pregnancy.
About Our Surrogates
Why do women decide to become gestational Surrogates (carriers)?
Some women choose to be Surrogates following a personal experience with infertility and want to help an individual or couple actualize their dreams of having a family. Other women may feel that their own family is complete, but like being pregnant and think that helping hopeful couples is a higher calling. But one thing that unites all of these women is the strong desire to help others have their own children.
Who are Surrogates?
Surrogates are selfless women who are willing to help intended parents start or grow their families. Although their circumstances may be different, all gestational Surrogates are required to fulfill certain requirements before they are matched with the parents. The actual screening and eligibility may vary from one agency to the other. Surrogacy agency does everything possible to make sure we find your ideal match.
What must Surrogates do for screening?
1. Be within a particular age range
2. Quit smoking and use of harmful drugs
3. Have an ideal BMI
4. Have a clean criminal record
5. Be able to attend doctor’s appointments
6. Undergo an in-house assessment and background checks
7. Complete a medical workup and a psychological screening
8. Submit health and drug history information
9. Have already carried at least one successful pregnancy without any complication
How long does it take to find or match with a Surrogate?
This varies case by case, but it usually takes between one day to 2 weeks. The length of the matching process is dependent on your availability and responsiveness. After you file in your application, we will contact you to discuss the surrogacy process. We will also provide answers to any questions you may have and send you our compensation package and other important documents. It usually takes our hopeful parents less than 2 weeks to find an ideal Surrogate. With surrogacy agency, it’s very to find a gestational Surrogate who matches your preferences!
What kind of medical tests does a Surrogate have to perform?
A Surrogate mother needs to undergo a complete history and physical exam to make sure that she has medically and emotionally “okay” to carry a pregnancy. This exam will also identify prospective Surrogates at high risk for sexually transmitted infections. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) suggests that all Surrogates are tested for common infections, like HIV, gonorrhea, hepatitis, syphilis, chlamydia, and cytomegalovirus.
Does the Surrogate need to undergo psychological screening?
The gestational Surrogate and her spouse (if she has one) need to have an interview with a mental health expert. This interview and the following ones will cover the likely psychological risks that are linked to the surrogacy process, including managing her relationships with the intended parents, her partner, children, and employers. Psychological screening can be carried out at the counselor’s discretion.
Are Surrogates compensated?
Surrogates are usually compensated for the time, energy, and effort they put in to fulfill this role. The compensation agreement is going to be documented in the surrogacy contracts before going ahead with any procedure.
How much contact will we have with the Surrogate? How involved are we going to be during the surrogacy pregnancy?
The frequency and the kind of contact that will exist between you and the Surrogate will be specified in your surrogacy plan. Depending on what you and your Surrogate are comfortable with, you can have as little or as much contact with your gestational carrier. A lot of surrogacy agencies provide contact mediation services for the parties involved.
Process and Procedure-Gestational Surrogacy
What do the medical procedures involve?
The procedures needed for surrogacy depend on your situation and whether or not you are using donor eggs. If your eggs or that of your partner will be used to create the embryos, you will need to take fertility medications to promote egg production in the ovaries. You will then undergo a minimally invasive egg retrieval procedure at the appropriate time.
After the eggs are collected either from an egg donor or the intended mother, they are going to be fertilized with a donor’s sperm or the intended father’s sperm. The resulting embryos are incubated and evaluated for development before they are transferred to the womb of the surrogate.
What occurs after the embryo transfer?
Following the embryo transfer, the surrogate will undergo various tests to confirm that pregnancy has been achieved. The carrier will start to receive payments once a healthy fetal heartbeat is heard a few months after the transfer. It’s important that you offer continuous emotional support to your surrogate during the pregnancy and be with her every single step of the process.
What occurs to the remaining frozen embryos?
You can have your frozen embryos stored at our fertility clinic. If your own family is full, we will advise you on what to do with your embryos. If you would like to remove your embryos from storage, we can help you in the process. If you want, you can make use of your frozen embryos for surrogacy in the future.
Where will the Surrogate deliver my baby?
A lot of our Surrogates already have an OB/GYN (obstetrician/gynecologist) they work with, and many are going to give birth at the same hospital where they deliver their own babies. All Surrogate mothers will give birth at a hospital close to their home. The decision on where to deliver the baby is usually made together with the obstetrician/gynecologist and the insurance firm, which may have some hospitals they approve. In some cases, our legal team will suggest that delivery take place at a particular hospital.
Intended Parents often want to witness the labor and childbirth process. Your Surrogate’s comfort and the policy of the hospital determine who will be present with the gestational carrier in the delivery room. After the baby is born, he or she will be placed in the nursery or a room given to you. According to the policies of most hospitals, the intended parents cannot take the baby home until the Surrogate has been discharged.
What happens after the baby is born?
Childbirth is a wonderful, life-changing event for both the intended parents and the surrogate. In most cases, the hopeful parents will meet the surrogate at the clinic for this remarkable experience.
After the birth of the baby and the gestational surrogate is released from the clinic, the new family and the carrier can go back to their home – the intended parents with their bundle of joy and the surrogate mother with the satisfaction of gifting the wonderful gift of parenthood to someone in need. The connection between the new family and the surrogate will last forever, and they may choose to maintain this relationship throughout the baby’s life. We will also help foster this relationship and offer continued support that is required after the surrogacy journey.
Intended Parent Evaluations
Do I (or we) as a hopeful parent needs any testing?
The intended parents also need to do a comprehensive history and physical exam to ensure that they are medically “okay” to undergo the IVF procedures. Additionally, the parents need to be screened for genetic disorders, like cystic fibrosis.
Are we (or I) tested for sexually transmitted diseases?
The prospective parents are checked for infectious diseases that can be transferred to the surrogate. The screening is performed through blood tests, physical examinations, and questionnaires. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required that this testing is done within a month of the egg retrieval and within a week of collecting the sperm. Although these tests don’t completely remove the risk of transmission, they significantly reduce them. The surrogate should also be advised that embryos could be frozen and stored for six months to retest the hopeful parents. However, this may lower the chances of achieving pregnancy.
Can I become a parent if I or my spouse is HIV positive?
Sure. Intended parents who are living with HIV can build their families through surrogacy, thanks to the Special Program of Assisted Reproduction (SPAR). Through HIV testing and a sperm preparation technique, HIV-positive men can safely father a genetically-related baby without any risk to the child or surrogate mother.
Should I or we undergo a psychological evaluation?
Yes, it’s recommended that intended parents receive counseling from a mental health expert. The counselor needs to assess the couple for any untreated psychological issues, addictions, or abuse. The evaluation should also address the couple’s expectations and relationship with the surrogate and include plans for any future relationship with her post-delivery.
Legalities
How are finances handled?
All your surrogacy funds are going to be held in a trust account managed by an experienced escrow company. This is to ensure that all monies due for surrogate reimbursements and fees are paid on time. Lastly, we will be in charge of all financial issues. This arrangement helps eliminate the payment-related part from your relationship with the hopeful parents during the surrogacy process.
Where is surrogacy allowed?What are the legal requirements for surrogacy?
Surrogacy laws vary from one US state to the other. Only a few states prohibit the practice, but among those that permit surrogacy arrangements, some have friendlier legislation than others. Hopeful parents should be able to go for surrogacy, provided they work with a gestational carrier in a state where the practice is legal. We have a big pool of surrogates who reside in states that are regarded as surrogacy-friendly.
No matter where you and your gestational carrier reside, every surrogacy arrangement must have a legally binding contract. You and your surrogate mother will each have your lawyer who will help draft the contract and make sure your interests are well represented and your rights, are protected. The surrogacy contract will include the surrogate compensation, likely risks, and the rights and responsibilities of each party.
At the surrogacy agency, we are here to help you navigate every single step of your parenthood journey. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding becoming a parent via surrogacy.
Will I be the biological parent of my baby?
Surrogacy usually gives one or both intended parents the chance to share genetic ties with the baby. If you are an intended father with viable, healthy sperm or an intended mother with healthy eggs, your biological material can be utilized to produce the embryo. Most times, this permits both heterosexual couples to be the biological parents of their baby.
Will the birth certificate contain any information about the Surrogate?
No, the birth certificate will bear your name. You, the intended parent, will be the one with full parental rights over the baby.
Is the Surrogate going to be medically insured?
When using a Surrogate, medical care costs are a big concern for most Intended Parents. To eliminate this concern, we offer Universal Insurance to cover all medical expenses. This minimizes out-of-pocket costs for the Intended Parents. The Surrogate will be enrolled in an insurance plan that covers all medical expenses associated with her pregnancy. Costs included: physician’s visits, ultrasounds, surgical procedures, and other related expenses. With our policy, the Surrogate can choose their own physician and hospital, giving them access to the best possible medical care.
International Intended Parents
If I’m not resident in the US, how will my baby get a passport?
Due to a legal principle called jus soli, babies who are born in the US are automatically eligible for American citizenship and passports, no matter the citizenship of their parents. Hence, most parents who pursue US surrogacy can go back home with their baby without first getting a passport from their own country. However, some international intended parents might decide to or be asked to get temporary visas or passports for their babies at a consulate in the US before they can go back home after the delivery. It’s important that hopeful parents check with immigration lawyers in their home countries for information regarding the best procedures for taking their children back home. At the surrogacy agency, we will help you obtain an American passport through our partners, who are very good at navigating the US passport system.
How many visits will I need to make to the US?
If you don’t live in the US, you will need to come here only once or twice (for the production of the embryos at the fertility clinic and the birth of the baby), but most international intended parents visit the US about four times during the process. Since each case is different, we do our best to adjust to your individual circumstances. We also have other international intended parents who have their embryos, eggs, or sperm transported to the US. That saves them one trip and we will help with all the transportation arrangements.
How long should I expect to stay in the US during and after the birth of the baby?
This depends on the medical procedures and the legal work required in the state where the baby was born. Generally, we suggest that intended parents plan on going back home after 2 to 4 weeks to allow enough time for DNA testing, legal proceedings, issuance of the baby’s certificate, and application for visas or passports for the child. We will help you navigate through this process. Based on the legal work required, you may be able to return home sooner.