Surrogacy By State

Arkansas Surrogacy Process


Key Points:

Taking the first steps into the process of surrogacy in Arkansas might be the hardest. But the following guide breaks down the Arkansas surrogacy process so you can better understand what it’s like, how to begin and if surrogacy is right for you.

Begin your journey today

Although everyone’s A.R. surrogacy journey will vary somewhat, you’ll likely go through these six steps:

Step 1: Decide if the Arkansas Surrogacy Process is Right for You

Surrogacy isn’t going to be the right path for everyone. Is it right for you?

Remember that there are important legal, emotional and practical considerations, and while the Arkansas surrogacy process is a wonderful experience for many people, it may not be the right fit for you.

Intended parents and surrogates must fully commit to the process of surrogacy in Arkansas for about one year, sometimes longer. Surrogates will make sacrifices to their time, emotions, body, family and career. Intended parents will need to honestly and carefully compare surrogacy to all other available family-building paths before making any choice. It’s important for both parties to educate and prepare themselves before they make a commitment.

You should also keep in mind that there are eligibility requirements that intended parents and surrogates must meet through their surrogacy professional. These are important for everyone’s safety.

One last consideration: why do you want to choose surrogacy? It’s important that you’re choosing to pursue surrogacy in Arkansas for the right reasons and that you go into the process ready for what comes next.

Step 2:  Choose Your Surrogacy Path

If you’re ready to commit to the Arkansas surrogacy process, the next step is to learn about the two types of surrogacy in AR:

Next, you’ll need to decide what type of surrogacy professional you want to work with. It’s important that you complete the Arkansas surrogacy process with an experienced professional to protect yourself and everyone involved. Your options are:

Step 3: Match with Your AR Surrogacy Partner

Your surrogacy partner doesn’t need to live in the same state as you do, so you’re not necessarily limited to finding a surrogate or intended parent in Arkansas. Because the priority is matching with someone who shares your surrogacy goals over location, long-distance matches are more common than not. There are three different ways you can match with an Arkansas surrogacy partner:

DID YOU KNOW?

You can find a highly qualified surrogacy partner through an agency in Arkansas within an average of 1 - 4 months.

Step 4: Complete the Legal Process of Surrogacy in Arkansas

If you’ve been matched with your surrogacy partner, you’ll next need to complete the legal process of surrogacy in AR together before you can take any medical actions.

Arkansas surrogacy attorneys will represent the surrogate and the intended parents individually to ensure equal advocacy as you create your surrogacy contract. This contract covers topics like how the legal parental rights will be secured for the intended parents, compensation for the surrogate, the risks and roles that everyone agrees to, what everyone would want to do in the event of circumstances like pregnancy complications and more.

Your attorneys will guide you through the surrogacy laws in Arkansas based on your individual situation, and will also adhere to any relevant out-of-state laws if you have a long-distance surrogacy partnership.

Step 5: Complete the Medical Process of Surrogacy in AR

After you’ve finalized your surrogacy contract, you’ll next begin the medical process of surrogacy in Arkansas. To reach that stage, surrogates will need to have met the health requirements and medical screenings of their surrogacy professional. If they’ve been cleared as physically healthy enough to proceed, they’ll take fertility medications and injections that lead up to an embryo transfer.

The embryo transfers will usually happen at the intended parents’ fertility clinic. An embryo is created through IVF using the egg and sperm of donors or intended parents, and is then transferred to the gestational surrogate’s uterus. When a doctor has confirmed that the surrogate is stably pregnant, she can go to her preferred OB-GYN for regular prenatal care.

For the remainder of the pregnancy, intended parents and surrogates often like to keep in touch, sharing updates about the baby and planning for the baby’s entrance into the world.

Step 6: The Baby’s Arrival

Long-distance surrogacy partnerships are common, so intended parents will often make travel plans to be present for their surrogate’s labor fairly early in the Arkansas surrogacy process. Experiencing a surrogacy birth is exciting for everyone involved, so it’s something that people often like to share with one another.

Want to learn more about how to become a parent through surrogacy in Arkansas, or about becoming a surrogate in Arkansas? Contact a surrogacy professional today, and they’ll help you get started with the Arkansas surrogacy process.

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