Surrogacy Process
If you’re ready to embark on an extraordinary journey towards parenthood, we are here to support you every step of the way. From legal considerations to matching you with a surrogate, we will guide you throughout the entire surrogacy process.
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Surrogate Medical Screening & Evaluation
The first step of the surrogacy process is making sure our surrogates meet all the medical and psychological requirements. Surrogate candidates will first fill out a pre screening form on our website and submit any required documentation. Once the pre screening requirements are met, we will start the evaluation phase.
Potential surrogates will then complete a background check, a financial review and a drug test. From there we will coordinate a home visit or Skype call with them.
This allows us to get a feel for their everyday environment, and is one more way we get to know our surrogates better. We want to ensure all our surrogates live a harmonious stress-free lifestyle as this leads to the best possible pregnancy outcomes.
The final step in our evaluation phase is setting up a psychological examination. The psychologist will conduct an in-depth interview to ensure surrogates and their primary support person are truly ready, mentally and emotionally, to begin the surrogacy journey.
Matching Parents with a Surrogate
At Surrogacy by Faith, we ensure all surrogate requirements and evaluations are completed before we match surrogates with intended parents.
Here are the steps we follow to help you find the right surrogate:
When we identify a good match for both the surrogate and the intended parents, profiles are exchanged. You have the chance to review the intended parents’ profile to learn all about who they are and what brought them to surrogacy, and they will do the same for you.
If both parties agree, we set up a video call so you can get to know each other more.
Once the conversation flows and there is a real connection, it will feel like something just clicks.
If both parties feel the same way – then you’ve been matched! And you’ll both move forward with the surrogacy process.
Medical and Legal Clearance
The next phase of the surrogacy process includes the surrogate medical screening at an IVF clinic and the contract finalization with an attorney.
At the medical screening, the surrogate will have a physical exam, as well as sonogram and blood tests. They will also learn about the types of medications they need to take for the pregnancy.
Even more exciting, this could be the first time you meet your surrogate mother in person! Many times Intended Parents will attend the medical screening at the clinic. This is a great opportunity for both the surrogate and the intended parents to start building a special relationship.
Once the blood work comes back from the IVF clinic, it’s time to finalize the legalities of the surrogacy process. Our surrogate attorney draws up a contract and forwards it to the Intended Parents attorney. They can accept or request changes.
At Surrogacy by Faith the legal process generally goes quite smoothly because all parties have already agreed on the “non termination” clause prior to beginning the surrogacy process.
We uphold strong Christian values and are one of the only surrogate agencies in the country that does not support fetal reduction and/or pregnancy termination.
Once everyone agrees and signs the contract, it’s on to the next phase – embryo transfer.
Embryo Transfer
In this phase, the medical process begins to prepare the surrogate for the embryo transfer.
The surrogate will begin her medical treatments (estrogen and progesterone injections) to prepare her body for pregnancy. She will also start attending local monitoring appointments which consist of bloodwork and ultrasounds to ensure her body is responding properly to the fertility meds.
Once her body is ready, the embryo transfer is relatively quick. We require all our intended Parents to do the Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) prior to freezing their embryos.
The PGS tests the genetics of the embryo, so we can be confident there are no abnormalities. This helps us reduce the chances of a failed transfer or early miscarriage.
Following the transfer, the surrogate will be given instructions from the IVF doctor on protocols she’ll need to follow. Many intended parents attend the embryo transfer if they can!
Pregnancy and Delivery
After the surrogate returns home from the embryo transfer, she will go back to her local monitoring clinic for blood tests to ensure that the pregnancy is progressing. An ultrasound will be performed after 6-7 weeks for a confirmation of heartbeat(s).
At this point, the surrogate will begin routine OB/GYN appointments. Our surrogates always continue to develop their relationship with intended parents by giving them weekly updates and sharing their pregnancy experience.
Then, before you know it, delivery day will arrive and you’ll finally meet your baby for the first time! To ensure the delivery day goes smoothly, Intended Parents usually work on a birth plan with their surrogate in the last month of pregnancy. Babies can be unpredictable, so it’s a good idea to have a document in place that outlines everyone’s wishes for delivery.
A surrogacy journey is emotional for everyone especially when it is time for the surrogate mother to say goodbye to the baby and the intended parents. But many surrogates continue the relationship with their intended parents far beyond birth. Ongoing phone calls, visits, emails, and photos are all possible, depending on the wishes of both parties. Receiving updates about the beautiful baby/babies surrogates helped bring forth into the world is another source of joy for many of them!
- Doctor Consultation