Connecticut Surrogacy Process

Key Points:

• Use this guide to get a better understanding of the surrogacy process in Connecticut.
• Learn more about the legal process, medical process and more when it comes to surrogacy.
• Discover how working with a surrogacy agency can help make the Connecticut surrogacy process even better by contacting a surrogacy specialist today.

The process of surrogacy in Connecticut can seem a little daunting when you’re first considering it, whether you’re hoping to grow your family through surrogacy as a parent or you’re thinking about becoming a surrogate for someone else. But it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience.

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The following guide can help you learn how to achieve your Connecticut surrogacy goals safely and smoothly.

The Connecticut Surrogacy Process

Surrogacy in Connecticut is a legal and welcomed family-building option, but there are still complicated legal, emotional and practical steps of the process that you’ll need to learn about and consider before you begin. Every surrogacy journey is different, but in general, these are the six basic steps of surrogacy in CT:

Step 1: Decide if You’re Ready for Surrogacy

Surrogacy simply isn’t the right path for everyone. Connecticut surrogates and intended parents should anticipate a year-long commitment, if not more, and their full dedication will be necessary. The legal, emotional and physical process of surrogacy in Connecticut will affect you and your family, so it’s important to reflect on this before making your decision.

Surrogates’ time, bodies, careers, emotions and families will all be affected by their commitment to the surrogacy process. Intended parents will want to compare surrogacy in CT to different family-building options and consider how those options may affect their family emotionally, financially and mentally.

Be sure about your motivations for pursuing surrogacy in Connecticut. The process can be demanding for everyone involved, so it’s important that you’re ready for surrogacy, and that you’re choosing it for the right reasons.

Step 2:  Choose the Type of Surrogacy and Professional You’ll Work With

If you’ve determined that surrogacy is right for you, you’ll next need to learn about your different options in the CT surrogacy process and choose which type of surrogacy you want to pursue. The two types of surrogacy in Connecticut are:

• Traditional surrogacy: The less-common method of surrogacy in CT, traditional surrogacy is where the surrogate is the biological mother of the child she carries. Her egg is combined with sperm (either donated or from an intended father) using IUI or IVF in a fertility clinic. Although there are no laws specifically addressing traditional surrogacy in Connecticut, it is permitted. However, because the surrogate is the biological mother of the child, intended parents can’t secure pre-birth orders, so a post-birth adoption is usually necessary. For this reason, along with the increased emotional and legal risks associated with this type of surrogacy, most Connecticut surrogacy professional will not complete a traditional surrogacy.
• Gestational surrogacy: A common type of surrogacy in CT, a gestational surrogate or gestational carrier is not genetically related to the child. Instead, the egg and sperm of intended parents or donors is combined using IVF to create an embryo, which is transferred to the surrogate’s uterus. Pre-birth orders are generally permitted with gestational surrogacy in Connecticut, so it’s easy for intended parents to secure their legal rights. The gestational surrogacy process is legal and well-regulated in Connecticut.

Similar to the type of surrogacy you choose, you have two options for surrogacy professionals. For your safety and the safety of everyone involved, it’s always recommended that you work with a CT surrogacy professional. Your two options are:

• A surrogacy agency or program: This type of professional handles most, if not all, of the necessary services for both intended parents and surrogates, including searching, screening, matching, counseling, case management and any necessary referrals.
• A surrogacy attorney: This professional completes the legal steps of the Connecticut surrogacy process. While they’re not always able to match surrogates and intended parents or provide counseling and case management, attorneys may be able to refer you to a professional who can provide these services.

Step 3: Match with a Surrogacy Partner

You can match with a surrogacy partner anywhere in the U.S., not just within Connecticut. Long-distance matches between surrogates and intended parents are very common, and communication is able to thrive regardless of distance. You have several different options when it comes to partnering with someone for your CT surrogacy journey:

• Partner with someone you know: Many people pursue surrogacy in CT because they know someone who is willing to be their surrogate, or they’re becoming a surrogate for someone they know who needs help having a child. In this instance, you would not need to search for a surrogacy partner. You’ll simply need to get in touch with a Connecticut surrogacy professional to begin the legal process before you move on to the medical steps. Both parties will also need to be screened and approved to ensure they are eligible for the Connecticut surrogacy process.
• Match through a surrogacy agency: If you don’t have someone in mind to partner with, a surrogacy agency can help you find the right match. They show you profiles of pre-screened people who are signed on with their agency and who have similar surrogacy goals as your own, and you could choose to partner with those people.
• Search on your own: Pursuing surrogacy in Connecticut independently without the protection of a professional should be done with caution, as you’d be responsible for vetting potential matches and could be at greater risk for fraud. You can search online or via your personal connections.

Step 4: Complete the Legal Process for Surrogacy in Connecticut

Once you’ve found the right partner for your Connecticut surrogacy journey, you’ll need to complete a series of legal steps. This must be done before you take any medical actions. Surrogates and intended parents should be individually represented by a Connecticut surrogate attorney to ensure that each party is fairly advocated for throughout the process.

There are specific laws in Connecticut that govern how pre-birth parentage orders work for gestational surrogacy in CT, which makes securing legal rights easier for intended parents. Your surrogacy attorney will walk you through this process, along with the creation of your surrogacy contract. The surrogacy contract will discuss important topics, such as surrogate compensation, agreement on points like selective reduction or termination, the risks that each party accepts, contact expectations before, during and after the process and more.

Your surrogacy attorney will ensure that your process adheres to all Connecticut surrogacy laws and is completed to ethical standards. When your surrogacy contract is finalized, you can proceed to the medical stage of surrogacy together.

Step 5: Complete the Medical Process of Surrogacy in CT

Surrogates in CT must meet a number of health requirements and complete a thorough screening process to ensure that they’re healthy enough for the physical processes of surrogacy. Gestational surrogates in Connecticut must take a series of fertility medications and hormones culminating in an embryo transfer.

The embryo transfer usually occurs at the intended parents’ preferred fertility clinic. The embryo that is transferred is created in the fertility clinic’s lab using IVF using the egg and sperm of donors or intended parents. This embryo will be transferred to the gestational surrogate’s uterus. Multiple cycles of transfers may be required to achieve a healthy pregnancy, but when this has been confirmed by the doctor, the surrogate can receive routine prenatal care from her own OBGYN.

At this point, surrogates and intended parents often like to stay in touch about the baby’s growth while they wait for his or her arrival.

Step 6: Welcome the Baby Together!

Because of how common long-distance surrogacy matches are, many intended parents will need to travel to be with their surrogate when she goes into labor. Surrogacy birth is a unique and special experience, so surrogates and intended parents often cherish this time together.

Many Connecticut surrogates and intended parents like to stay in touch after their surrogacy journey together has ended. Your surrogacy professional can help you facilitate this, as well as provide you with any post-surrogacy support or resources you might need in the future.

If you’re interested in becoming parents through surrogacy in CT, or you’d like to help others by becoming a surrogate mother in Connecticut, contact a surrogacy professional now. They’ll provide you with more information and help you get started toward your Connecticut surrogacy journey today.