Intended Parents

5 Steps to the Surrogacy Process


*Video Courtesy of American Surrogacy

Key Points:
  • Choosing the right surrogacy agency is one of the most important steps of the surrogacy process.
  • Many intended parents report caring most about short wait times and finding a highly qualified surrogate.
  • The next step you can take if you’re considering surrogacy for your family is contacting an agency.

Everyone deserves the chance to fulfill their dream of starting a family. For some people, the surrogacy process is the best path to take.

If you’re considering the surrogacy process to start your family, we know you’ve already waited long enough. Whether you’ve reached this place after a long struggle with infertility or many challenging decisions as a gay couple, we know the journey hasn’t been easy.

You deserve better – and we are here to help. For those ready to take the next step, we’ve parented with American Surrogacy because of their short wait times and thorough surrogate screening.

Speak with a specialist today!

Here’s what you need to know about how the surrogacy process can help fulfill your dreams.

The Surrogacy Process in 5 Steps

In general, there are five significant steps to any surrogacy process.

Step 1: Choose the Best Surrogacy Agency

The first step may be the most important, and there’s a key reason: Time.

The biggest thing a surrogacy agency can influence when it comes to creating your family is how long it takes to find a surrogate (more on that in step two). Choosing a surrogacy agency with short wait times can be the difference in holding your baby in one year or three years.

Time is our most valuable resource, and we only have so much of it. We know you’ve already waited long enough already. Make sure to find an agency with the shortest average wait times.

Step 2: Find a Surrogate

Your surrogacy agency will help you find a surrogate. Along with wait times, the critical factor in this step is ensuring the surrogate you find is fully qualified.

Agencies have different standards for what they consider “qualified” when a surrogate is matched with parents, and this is important to understand. If an agency matches you with a surrogate who hasn’t been appropriately screened, your fertility clinic may deny her. This means:

  • Waiting for another match, which will cost you time
  • Potentially paying another match fee, which will cost you financially

Finding an agency with highly qualified surrogates is vital to this step.

Step 3: The Embryo Transfer

Working together with your fertility clinic and surrogacy agency, you’ll begin the surrogacy medical process. This can be an exciting and nerve-wracking time. You’ve taken a long road to get here, and everyone is rooting for you.

DID YOU KNOW?

The best surrogacy agencies work with a trusted network of clinics across the country. If you need help choosing a clinic, they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.

This starts with a series of medications your surrogate will take, all leading up to the embryo transfer. You’ll be intimately involved throughout the whole process, getting updates from the clinic and even attending the milestone appointments together.

Your specialist at your surrogacy agency can be your biggest support during this time.

Step 4: A Healthy Pregnancy

You can have the most confidence in a healthy surrogacy pregnancy when you know you’ve been matched with a qualified surrogate. This is one of the reasons we have chosen to partner with American Surrogacy — they only work with gestational carriers who are ASRM qualified. This high standard puts hopeful parents (like you!) in the most secure position possible during the surrogacy process.

Step 5: Welcoming Your Baby to the World

Everything leads up to this moment! This is everything you’ve ever dreamed, and the surrogacy process makes it possible. 

Parents and surrogates will be at the hospital together for labor and delivery. Your specialist with your surrogacy agency will coordinate with the hospital so that everyone knows what to expect. With the right support, the hospital stay will go off without a hitch.

Make sure to savor every moment. This is what you’ve been waiting for, and when the day finally comes, you won’t have to wait any longer.

Take Your First Step

Anyone considering surrogacy has taken a long road to get here. That road may be filled with hardships, lots of waiting, and plenty of frustration. If you are ready to move forward toward a better future with your family, you can take your first step today.

Male and Female couple smiling with surrogate mother
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