What to Know Moving from IVF to Surrogacy

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) can fail for a number of reasons.

No matter why IVF isn’t working for you, moving on to surrogacy is one of the options that still gives you the opportunity to experience parenthood.

Fill out our online contact form to learn more about surrogacy and how it can make your dreams of becoming a parent come true.

Below, we’ll take a deeper look into the role of IVF in surrogacy, how you can use the embryos you have from IVF and the emotional side of moving on from failed IVF to surrogacy.  

Moving on to Surrogacy After Failed IVF [IVF Still Plays a Role]

No matter why you can’t go through another IVF attempt, surrogacy offers you the chance to become a parent. And if you are considering surrogacy as an alternative path to parenthood, IVF will still play a key role.

Gestational surrogacy with IVF takes IVF a few steps further whether you or your partner has unexplained infertility or IVF hasn’t been able to help you conceive.  

IVF is a multi-step process in which embryos, created using your and your partner’s eggs and sperm or a donor’s, are transferred to your surrogate’s uterus to achieve pregnancy.

Although your surrogate will carry your baby to term, she is not genetically related to the child.

If surrogacy is right for your circumstances, you can use the embryos you have left over from IVF. Having embryos coming into the process means you can move on that much quicker to finding  the perfect surrogate.

Get in touch with us online to find out more about choosing the perfect surrogate. You can start looking at available surrogates now or get more free information about creating embryos for surrogacy.

When trying to determine if surrogacy could be right for your situation, think about the following factors.

Success Rates

Age plays a significant factor but moving on to surrogacy comes with relatively high success rates.

In 2014, the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) reported that live birth rates had a 50.5% success rate when donor eggs came from women under the age of 35. At ages of 42 and above, that number dropped to 9.2%.

Logistics

When it comes to finding a surrogate, you may find a match that’s located in a different part of the country.

If you’re thinking about moving on from failed IVF to surrogacy, consider the logistical aspects that can come with this change.

You need to consider:

• Laws in Your Surrogates State: The legality and legal processes that come with surrogacy are important for where your surrogate is located. Because the legal aspects will take place where she is located, her state laws will directly impact your journey.
• Communication: If your surrogate isn’t located close enough to where you can meet in person, then texts, emails and calls will likely be how you stay in touch. With potential time zone differentials and all the things that go on in your daily lives, having a scheduled communication plan can help.
• Pre-Delivery and Post-Birth: Getting to and from your surrogate’s location will require flexibility and planning ahead. A hospital delivery plan is just one example of how you can prepare for the delivery of your child and what comes directly after like establishing proper parental rights.

Cost

Cost is a common concern for those looking to grow their family and if you have been told by your doctor that IVF won’t work, cost could be at the forefront of your mind as you look into your alternative options.

Surrogacy with a reputable professional can cost anywhere from $100,000-$250,000.  From fixed fees to variable costs, it’s a good idea to ask a professional their costs upfront and how that cost impacts your journey to parenthood.

Contact us online to learn more about the cost of surrogacy if you can’t go through another IVF attempt.  

Moving on From Failed IVF with Your Embryos

If you have decided to move on to surrogacy as a way to grow your family, you can still use extra embryos created from those IVF cycles.

Having embryos once you make the decision to move on from failed IVF puts you one step closer to parenthood as you need to have embryos before you can be matched with a surrogate.

The benefits of embryo genetic testing include:

• Selecting the Best Embryos for Transfer: Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) is used to improve the chances of an IVF cycle by grading and selecting the healthiest embryos.
• Cost-Effective: PGT can save you money in the long run as multiple IVF cycles can become quite costly.
• Higher Chances of a Healthy Birth: Depending on the types of PGT done on the embryos, you can look at the number of chromosomes and/or screen for monogenic disorders.

Moving on to Surrogacy from IVF [How to Cope]

Whether your doctor said IVF won’t work for you or you are not interested in doing another transfer, moving on to surrogacy gives you the chance to become a parent.

But making that transition from IVF to IVF with a surrogate should come with the proper amount of time to handle the wide range of emotions you may be feeling.

Many women look forward to a pregnancy, what it feels like and what it feels like to hold your baby for the first time after giving birth.

Feelings of grief and loss are natural, and you could still be feeling disappointed and sad that your journey has changed due to reasons outside of your control. It’s important to address these emotions and that can be done in any number of ways such as:

• Allowing yourself the time to grieve
• Leaning on your partner
• Talking with your fertility team
• Not rushing into the next phase

There are also additional resources you can utilize like support groups or blogs that talk about their surrogacy journey’s. Although everyone’s experience is different, there are other women out there who have moved on to surrogacy after failed IVF too.

Even if your circumstances aren’t the exact same, having a community to talk to that understands what you may be feeling can help address it. There’s even counseling specific to fertility if you’re looking for professional help.

You can get in touch with us today to learn more about surrogacy or getting the support you deserve if you’ve decided to move on from failed IVF. We can connect you with reputable counseling services that deal with situations similar to yours.