As your projected due date draws near, you may find that your surrogate and her care provider are talking about the potential need or desire for an induction of labor. In simplest terms, a labor induction is a medically caused labor. Some intended parents even desire an induced labor so that they can have better odds at planning for and being present at the time of birth.

You should know that many doctors and hospitals will have policy and rules surrounding when an induction can be done. Most medical professionals will not allow an induction for non-medical reasons before the 37^th (and often not before the 38^th) week of pregnancy. In most cases doctors will not allow an induction unless the benefits of ending the pregnancy early outweigh the risks of continuing the pregnancy.  Continue reading →

You’ve just had your first ultrasound and everything looks great. In fact, it looks perfect. Your surrogate has just been confirmed with two heartbeats. Twins. Two babies. You’re over the moon. But everyone is telling you to calm down, and not start buying everything in duplicate just yet. What gives?

The reason behind the apprehension is simple. The unfortunate reality is that, Continue reading →

Your surrogate will be on a closely monitored medical protocol for a long time. Beginning roughly a month before your embryo transfer, and lasting many weeks into a confirmed pregnancy, it can feel like she’s taking medications endlessly. We understand that there is some peace of mind that comes with the announcement that she has been released from medications, and that the moment you receive that message is highly anticipated.

In most basic terms, this announcement signifies that doctors believe her body is able to sustain the pregnancy on its own without medical intervention. And that is a really good feeling for any intended parent.

When your surrogate will be weaned off of her medications is based on Continue reading →

It is our belief that very few people are outwardly mean or seeking to offend or hurt those around them. Even so, and especially in situations that are difficult emotionally, people will often make comments from a place of ignorance and with the best of intentions that wind up being unintentionally hurtful. With that in mind, here’s a brief list of a few things you may want to avoid saying to someone living with infertility, or who needs the help of a surrogate for other reasons, in order to make their family dreams a reality.

1. Stop trying so hard.

This phrase is often the little brother of, “Just relax, let it happen naturally,” and can be quite infuriating to those struggling with infertility. Understand that, Continue reading →

As you prepare to embark upon your egg donation or surrogacy journey, it is incredibly common to question how your family will function once your new baby arrives. Pondering the potential connection with a child that does not share your genetics is an emotional hurdle many intended parents must face before they move forward.

Understand that a family is created from the same four components no matter what the family structure is. These components include: Continue reading →

RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association, reports that one in 8 U.S. couples of childbearing years will experience some level of infertility in their quest to create a family.  Add to that the rising costs of infertility testing, diagnosis, treatment and In Vitro Fertilization and it starts to become clear why more and more couples are starting to get creative about ways to fund their future families.

As of 2016, just 13 states had laws on the books that require insurance companies to pay for infertility related claims, leaving the majority of Americans facing infertility staring down the barrel at mounting costs. In fact, RESOLVE estimates that the current cost of a single IVF cycle is well over $12,000. Continue reading →

Beginning to take charge of your fertility means exploring all of the things that could be causing you hardship in attaining pregnancy. One of those things is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, PCOS for short.

An incredibly common affliction of American women, some doctors estimate up to 10% of all American women suffer from PCOS. Doctors estimate that as many as 50% of women who have PCOS may not even know they have it. PCOS is believed to be the most common cause for female infertility in the USA today. Continue reading →

Learning that your embryo transfer did not result in a positive pregnancy test can feel devastating. The doctor said your embryos were perfect, your surrogate’s uterus was perfect, and you were sure the result would be a successful, perfect pregnancy. It is completely normal and understandable to be met with grief, shock, and disbelief when things don’t go as planned. Continue reading →

The arrival of your medical and transfer calendar is a big day. It outlines what medications your surrogate will be taking leading up to embryo transfer as well as what day the targeted transfer will take place. Here’s a look at how the process works.

The first thing to understand is that calendars cannot be created until every other requirement has been met by you and your surrogate. All medical tests need to be completed, all accounts need to be adequately funded, and all legal paperwork needs to be finalized. Once all of these have been taken care of, you’ll need to also have decided on an egg donor or, if you’re using your own eggs, and IVF cycle and retrieval date for yourself.   Continue reading →

Embryos are tiny, delicate things. As such, the transfer process is often conducted with great caution and preparation. This caution can often cause surrogates to be quite concerned about how to best protect the embryo they’ve been entrusted with carrying. It is normal for intended parents to feel some degree of concern, too. In fact, many will raise the question of how secure the embryo is once placed in the uterus, and if it’s possible that the embryo could “fall out.” Continue reading →