The Gestational Surrogacy Process
Gestational surrogacy involves in vitro fertilization (IVF) with the eggs of an intended parent or those of an egg donor. This means the surrogate is not genetically related to the child.
There are three stages to achieving pregnancy with gestational surrogacy:
- Egg retrieval—Either the intended mother or the egg donor undergoes a procedure to remove eggs from her body.
- Fertilization—The eggs are fertilized with sperm in the laboratory to create embryos, which are tested and frozen.
- Transfer—The fertilized egg, or embryo, is implanted into the surrogate’s womb. This is often referred to as an embryo transfer or transfer.
Benefits of Gestational Surrogacy
- The ability to have your own child biologically or through intention.
- When doing IVF, the option of gender selection and genetic testing on the embryo before implantation.
- Low-risk pregnancy. Our surrogate vetting process includes medical, psychological, and criminal screenings. We accept less than 2% of those who apply to be a surrogate. We pride ourselves on choosing a surrogate who is physically, emotionally, and financially prepared to carry your child or children.
- While surrogacy law is constantly evolving, there are many states where surrogacy is legal and allows you to be the full, sole parent, fully relinquishing the surrogate’s rights.
- Same-sex couples may have each of their names on their child’s birth certificate.
- IVF plus surrogacy has been known to produce some of the highest success rates for pregnancy.
Your Role in the Process
While choosing to have a child through surrogacy may seem intimidating at times, our surrogacy program provides you with easy-to-navigate steps and offers you guidance throughout the process.
How Growing Generations’ Surrogacy Program Works
On average, the entire surrogacy lasts approximately two to two and a half years. You can expect the following steps.
- Consultation—Your complimentary consultation will inform, inspire, and empower. You’ll learn more about our surrogacy program and surrogates, so you’ll know what to expect. All consultations are conducted via video conference. Our consultations are offered in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Catalan.
- Admissions—Growing Generations wants the beginning of the surrogacy process to be as simple as possible for you. We only require you to sign and return our retainer agreement with the initial retainer fee to join our program. Accepted payment types include U.S. bank check, domestic or international bank wire, or credit card.
The best way to match you with a surrogate is to get to know you. We’ll do that by having you complete a short online profile. You will also schedule an introductory meeting with your case specialist who will support you through the surrogacy process and discuss next steps.
Your legal team will work with you to discuss the legal aspects of surrogacy, and in which states the process is legal. If you need an egg donor, we can help you find one at this stage. Growing Generations has its own egg donor database you can browse at any time.
- Your Surrogate—Our screening process includes an extensive application, interviews, psychological evaluations, and a criminal background check. A maternal-fetal specialist will review her previous delivery records. Your surrogate will also undergo a medical examination by an IVF specialist, which includes an intrauterine ultrasound and drug, nicotine, and infectious disease screenings. Less than 2% of our surrogate applicants qualify to become a surrogate with Growing Generations.
Growing Generations offers a match guarantee option where we’ll help cover a significant portion of the screening expenses for your surrogate if she does not pass medical or psychological screening. After being matched with a surrogate through our highly personalized process, you’ll have a “match meeting” via video conference facilitated by one of our staff members.
- Preparing for Pregnancy—This is when you begin funding your Growing Generations expense account. The legal process begins once your expense account is funded, and your surrogate is medically cleared to proceed. After you’ve finished the legal portion of the process and your surrogate is medically prepared for an embryo transfer, your IVF specialist will provide a cycle calendar outlining the date the embryo transfer will take place. Pregnancy results will come back 10 to 12 days following the embryo transfer procedure.
- The Final Stretch—After about 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy, your surrogate’s IVF specialist will release her to her obstetrician. As the pregnancy enters its second trimester, we will prepare you, your surrogate, and the hospital for the delivery of your child. While the long wait is over, we will continue to provide support as needed for weeks after the delivery.
We recognize a lot of questions may arise throughout your process. We have an open-door policy where you can always come to our team for the answers you need. You’ll also have access to our surrogacy resource center to help answer your questions. Even after your child is born, you’ll be able to access articles about breast milk, talking to your child about surrogacy, and many other topics.
The Advantages of Growing Generations Surrogacy
More than 500 tasks, appointments, and events go into the completion of the average surrogacy process. Monitoring your surrogate, managing that relationship, paying her expenses, and making sure she has everything she needs are a few of the duties Growing Generations perform.
Some of the specific ways we serve you include:
- Affirming during the screening process that your surrogate is financially self-supporting by verifying her income and requesting copies of her surrogate’s paystubs and her spouse or partner’s if applicable.
- Obtaining your surrogate’s pregnancy-related medical records and coordinating her medical screening with a reproductive endocrinologist.
- Coordinating your surrogate’s psychological screening and providing her ongoing support throughout the surrogacy.
- Checking in with your surrogate, making sure your surrogate is sending updates, and attending her appointments.
- Providing you a case specialist who will conduct milestone calls with you and your surrogate to share what to expect next during your process.
- Offering access to a financial specialist so you can make the most informed decisions and who will ensure your surrogate receives her reimbursement and compensation.
- Creating a birth plan for you, your surrogate, and the hospital where your child or children are expected to be delivered.
- Guiding you through decisions big and small by providing transparency, clarity, and advice based on more than 25 years of experience.
When you’re ready to proceed on your surrogacy journey, take the next steps with us.
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