With 30 years of experience, Growing Generations has worked — and continues to work — with surrogates who reside all over the United States as well as intended parents who reside on six different continents.
Surrogates are a vital key to helping individuals and couples grow families of their own. Our team is dedicated to making this a life-changing, fulfilling journey for surrogates and the intended parents. We want our surrogates to feel supported and taken care of during their surrogacy journey from the moment they apply.
What is Gestational Surrogacy?
Gestational surrogacy is an arrangement in which a surrogate carries a pregnancy for intended parents but has no genetic connection to the baby. The embryo is created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) using an egg and sperm from the intended parents or from donors, then transferred to the surrogate’s uterus.
Because the surrogate does not provide the egg, she is not biologically related to the child. This is different from traditional surrogacy, where the surrogate’s own egg is used and she is genetically related to the baby.
If you’re new to surrogacy and want a broader overview, learn more in our surrogacy guide.
How to Become a Surrogate
Application reviewed by our team
Application call with a Surrogate Specialist
Consultation booked once approved
Your surrogate application will be reviewed by our team, and a Surrogate Specialist will call you to go over it and talk through any open questions. Once your application is approved, you'll be invited to book your surrogacy consultation.
Intended parent profile hand-picked for you
Your approval
IVF clinic records review
Video match meeting
Officially matched
During your admissions process, our matching team works to identify the right intended parent match for you. We begin by asking several questions. Our goal is to understand your hopes and expectations for the surrogacy, so we can match you with like-minded parents.
Our unique, highly customized matching process means we hand pick an intended parent profile for you. Once you approve a parent profile, the intended parents' IVF clinic will review your records to confirm the match can move forward, and your profile will then be sent to the intended parents for their review. If everyone accepts the match, you’ll have a video match meeting facilitated by a member of the case management team. We’ll work to find a match you’re excited about!
Complete the quick survey
Check the minimum requirements
Before you start the full application, you can expect to spend a few minutes on a quick survey. If you meet the minimum surrogacy requirements, you'll be invited to apply.
Benefits package and forms
Document and records submission
Criminal background check and insurance verification
Records reviewed by a maternal-fetal medicine specialist
Psychological screening
After your consultation, you’ll receive your benefits package and forms to complete, and you'll move on to the document submission phase. Some of the documents we’ll need are:
Your driver’s license and social security card
Your partner's or spouse's driver's license and social security card, if applicable
Pay stubs
Past pregnancy and delivery records
Medical records
Medical insurance card
The documents submitted will be used to complete the criminal background check, insurance verification to review your insurance options, as well as a review of your pregnancy and delivery records by a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. Once your records are in, you'll also complete psychological screening with a mental health professional. Any paperwork items that require a signature can be signed virtually. This phase of your surrogate application process tends to be the most time intensive and will move at your speed.
45-minute video call with a Surrogate Specialist
Overview of every step, from application to birth
What to expect from psychological and medical screening
Time for your questions and concerns
The consultation is a 45-minute video call between you and a Surrogate Specialist with Growing Generations. You'll walk through every step of the surrogacy process, from application to birth, including what to expect from psychological screening and the review of your records by a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. There will also be plenty of time to address your questions and concerns.
STEP 1
SEE IF YOU QUALIFY
STEP 2
REVIEW OF SURROGATE APPLICATION
STEP 3
NEW SURROGATE CONSULTATION
STEP 4
PREPARE FOR YOUR SURROGATE MATCH
STEP 5
MATCH WITH INTENDED PARENTS
If you have any questions before beginning your surrogacy, please contact us at family@growinggenerations.com, and a member of our surrogate admissions team will contact you directly. Growing Generations is always here to help and support you through your surrogacy experience from the very first step to the last stage of your journey.
What Happens After You’re Matched?
Embryo Transfer & Pregnancy
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Cycle calendar and medications shipped to you
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Local monitoring appointments
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Travel to the IVF clinic for the transfer
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First pregnancy test 10 to 12 days later
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Heartbeat confirmation ultrasound, a few weeks later
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Released to your local OB at 10 to 12 weeks
You’ll receive a copy of the cycle calendar from your IVF clinic. The cycle medications will be shipped to you, and the clinic will provide detailed instructions on how to administer the medication and what dosages to take. You’ll also have a few local monitoring appointments at the clinic location closest to you to track your progress. Once your body is ready for the transfer, you’ll travel to the IVF clinic for the procedure. The first pregnancy test will occur 10 to 12 days after the transfer. A few weeks later, an ultrasound will confirm a heartbeat. Once a pregnancy is confirmed, you’ll continue some of your IVF medications until 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy. At that time, you’ll be released to the care of your local obstetrician. Once the IVF process is complete, your pregnancy care becomes more routine. Your OB appointments will occur approximately every four weeks and will increase in frequency near the end of the pregnancy. Your Case Specialist will be with you the entire time to help navigate the practical and emotional sides of this process. You’ll have milestone calls with your Case Specialist and intended parents to help prepare for delivery. You’ll also have access to your designated Education and Experience Specialist, our Portal (online resource center), as well as a private Facebook group and monthly Surrogate Support Calls to connect with other wonderful surrogates and to share your feelings and experience.
Medical Screening & Legal Contracts
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Medical screening with your intended parents' IVF doctor
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Travel covered for you and your partner
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Physical exam with blood and urine labs
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Legal contract with your intended parents
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Legal clearance before any medications
You’ll complete medical screening with the doctor overseeing your IVF cycle. In most cases, this will involve travel. The travel expenses for you and your partner will be covered. During your trip, you’ll have a physical examination along with blood and urine labs. If applicable, your partner will complete these as well. Your surrogacy medical screening results are typically received within two weeks of your appointment. After your intended parent match is confirmed and you’re medically cleared, the legal phase begins. You’ll complete a legal contract between you and the intended parents to establish the terms of the surrogacy. The legal process takes a few weeks on average and can vary. You won’t be able to begin injectable medications until your legal clearance is issued. Once the contract is in place, your Case Specialist will work with you and the IVF clinic to create a calendar with your medication protocol and tentative embryo transfer date. Most surrogates will complete a mock cycle before this calendar is finalized.
Delivery and Recovery
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Birth plan created together
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Hospital logistics handled by your Case Specialist
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More frequent OB appointments
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Delivery day
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Postpartum support
As you enter the final stage of your journey, your Case Specialist will help you prepare for delivery. Together with your intended parents, you’ll create your birth plan, discuss hospital logistics, and ensure all details are shared with the medical team, something your Case Specialist will personally oversee. You’ll continue to have regular OB appointments, which will become more frequent as you approach your due date. Throughout this time, your Case Specialist will stay closely connected to ensure you feel supported and ready for the big day. Additionally, your Education and Experience Specialist is available should you need any additional support along the way. This is the day you've been working toward. After delivery, you’ll be discharged from the hospital, and the baby will be discharged with the parents as well. We’ll be here to support you in the postpartum period to ensure you’re recovering and have everything you need.
Once you’re matched with intended parents, the process moves into medical, legal, and pregnancy-related milestones. At this point, you'll begin working with your Case Specialist, who has been supporting your intended parents and now works with you both for the rest of your journey. You'll also be assigned an Education and Experience Specialist, an additional line of support from matching through 6-8 weeks postpartum.
How Long Does the Surrogate Process Take?
Stage | Typical Timeline |
|---|---|
Step 1: See if You Qualify | Within minutes |
Step 2: Review of Surrogate Application | About 1 business day |
Step 3: New Surrogate Consultation | Within about a week |
Step 4: Prepare for Your Surrogate Match | About 1 month after your consultation |
Step 5: Match With Intended Parents | About 2.5 months after submitting your paperwork |
Medical Screening & Legal Contracts | 3-4 months |
Embryo Transfer & Pregnancy | 9-10 months (10-11 with a mock cycle) |
Delivery and Recovery | 6-8 weeks, without complications |
These are typical ranges. Steps 4 and 5 move at your pace: completing documents and appointments promptly helps keep your journey on schedule.
Surrogate Process FAQs
Some parts of the process may cause temporary discomfort, but experiences vary. Fertility medications can cause some side effects, and both medical screening and the embryo transfer may feel similar to a pelvic exam. Pregnancy and childbirth also carry the same types of discomfort and physical changes associated with any pregnancy. Your medical team will explain what to expect and how to manage symptoms throughout the process.
In gestational surrogacy, the surrogate has no genetic connection to the baby because her egg is not used. The embryo is created through IVF using eggs and sperm from the intended parents or donors. Legal parentage is addressed through the surrogacy agreement and applicable state laws.
Sperm used to create embryos is collected and provided to the fertility clinic. Depending on the intended parent’s circumstances, previously frozen sperm, donor sperm, or sperm obtained through a medical retrieval procedure may also be used. The fertility clinic determines the appropriate approach before IVF begins. This process creates embryos through IVF; it does not involve insemination.
Surrogacy involves many of the same medical risks as other pregnancies, including gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, preeclampsia, miscarriage, preterm delivery, and complications during childbirth. Fertility medications and embryo transfer can also have side effects or risks. Screening before becoming a surrogate helps determine whether pregnancy is medically appropriate for you, and your healthcare providers will monitor your health throughout the pregnancy.
Matching timelines vary based on your preferences, the intended parents available, and how closely both sides align on expectations. At Growing Generations, our focus is finding a mutual fit rather than making the fastest possible match. Once you and the intended parents agree to move forward together, you can begin the medical and legal phases of the process.
From Surrogates Who’ve Been Through It
"Thank you for this incredible opportunity you’ve given me! Being a surrogate has been one of the most fulfilling things in my life and I cannot imagine doing any of this without you. Your support has been incredible and it means the world to me. I could never thank you enough!"
Christina S.
Surrogate
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