Surrogacy process

Learn About the Women Who Are Surrogates: You may be curious about why women choose to become surrogates. Through our work with thousands of women and research on this topic, we see some common insights about many surrogates:

• Almost 90% find joy in giving to others, and demonstrate that through their actions. For instance, more than 50% regularly volunteer and nearly half are registered blood and organ donors.
• The time must be right; over 80% examine the timing for their family and turn to their inner circle for support about the decision.
• Two-thirds have first-hand experience with a friend or family member’s struggle with infertility.
• The financial incentive is meaningful and more than 60% report it will help to create a safety net by, for instance, paying down debt or saving for their family’s future.

Can a surrogacy journey be successful during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes. Surrogacy is an essential service. With the right precautions, more hopeful people than ever are continuing to build their families with the assistance of a surrogate. Listen to a podcast with our CEO Nazca Fontes and Dr. Marie Werner, a respected reproductive endocrinologist as they discuss surrogacy during the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

• Understand Your Starting Point. Take a minute and tell us a bit about you so, together, we can build your step-by-step personalized roadmap to provide for the emotional, financial, and logistical support you will need for the journey ahead. We love getting to know hopeful people who are considering a surrogacy journey, and please know that all of your information is maintained with utmost privacy.
• Set Your Expectations. We can introduce you to other intended parents who have had success building their families by working with a surrogate, and who can give you straight-talk about the path ahead. We will talk in detail about your hopes for the future and your experiences to date, so we can create a journey that meets and exceeds your expectations.
• Your Custom Roadmap. Together, we will strategize and pre-plan your surrogacy journey. We will help you to understand your financial and legal requirements, including all the details of the All-In Program as well as customizing another option if that better suits your needs. We value transparency and make sure that any fine print is in plain English.

• Getting Started. When you retain us to recruit and match you with a surrogate, you will also make your first payment for us to do so. That payment, however, is fully refundable at any time until you have accepted a surrogate match.
• The Art and Science of Compatible Relationships. ConceiveAbilities assigns a Match Expert who will guide you through our proprietary matching process, Matching Matters®, and quickly connect you with your hand-selected stand-out surrogate. We match you with a surrogate that shares your values and expectations for the type of relationship you want, in addition to being healthy and qualified for the journey ahead. No languishing on waiting lists for months on end, wondering when you will be able to get started. With a 97% success rate after the first introduction, and working consistently faster than any other agency, we save you untold time and expense as you get started on your surrogacy journey.
• Funding Escrow. Once you are matched, you will place all the money needed for your surrogacy journey in escrow so you and your surrogate have the peace-of-mind of knowing that the full financial resources for your journey are safe and secure.
• Dedicated Sure Hands. You will meet your ConceiveAbilities’ Match Manager, your primary point of contact who will lead your entire match experience team on your behalf, to guide you and your surrogate on the journey ahead, step-by-step.

• Support For Your Surrogate. Your baby’s health is intricately linked to your surrogate’s health. So, we support your surrogate’s emotional health throughout her journey. At this stage of the process, as the journey ahead is becoming increasingly real, we introduce her to our Surrogate Sisterhood, a private community of women who are actively engaged with us on a surrogacy journey. She will have routine opportunities to connect with this incredible network of supporters who totally “get it” to help her through the demands of the journey.
• Medical Clearance By Your Clinic. Your fertility center will conduct their own review of your surrogate’s qualifications. ConceiveAbilities’ experience and careful screening process, conducted by licensed nursing professionals, helps to ensure that this is a satisfactory review. In fact, more than 95% of our surrogates pass your doctor’s medical evaluation on the first attempt.
• Clearance for Embryo Transfer. While your surrogate is being medically cleared by your fertility center, you will execute a legal contract with one another that confirms services, payments and other key terms of your agreement. We will help you coordinate and tackle all the details like health insurance and other necessary paperwork, working in coordination with all the professionals who will support your journey. Pre-pregnancy payments to your surrogate start during this time.
• Embryo Transfer. For the embryo transfer, your surrogate’s body will need to be medically prepared. She will learn more about the medical protocol, restrictions and expectations during this time and begin certain medications. Once your embryo is transferred and your medical team is able to confirm a fetal heartbeat for a second time, we consider the pregnancy “established.”

• Transfer To Obstetrician. As your pregnancy continues, your fertility center will determine when is the right time for your surrogate’s obstetrician to take responsibility for your surrogate’s and baby’s medical care. Your surrogate will begin routine appointments with the obstetrician. You will check-in regularly with your surrogate and continue to receive dedicated support from your match manager.
• Making a Birth Plan. During the middle of your pregnancy, we will work with you and your surrogate to create a Birth Plan, which is an exciting milestone to ensure everyone is ready for the delivery of your baby. An important part of the Birth Plan is to review the legal parentage process, ensuring that your parentage is properly established.
• The Birth! It is our honor to bear witness to a most precious and joyful moment, as your baby, a new life enters the world.
• Taking Your Baby Home. After your baby’s birth, your baby goes home with you, with a birth certificate and, if needed, passport for international travel. At long last.

• Support Continues. We work to ensure that your surrogate has the support she needs at the end of your journey, physically and emotionally. Your surrogate will receive post-pregnancy payments to ensure her time and energy can be directed toward her recovery.
• Settling Up. We ensure that your monies are properly accounted for and ensure your escrow account is closed, with any remaining funds returned to you.
• Are You Part of A New Journey? While the surrogacy journey is demanding and unique, it is also immensely rewarding. Did you know that 56% of our surrogates are highly interested in a repeat journey and 78% want to refer a friend to be a surrogate? Their personal experience as a surrogate is the top driving factor for this strong interest. Similarly, many intended parents are excited about a sibling journey and referring friends to start their own journeys. We will support you in making decisions about a new journey, whether it is your own or one that you can help inspire for someone else. And, should you choose to further build your family with the help of a surrogate, we express our gratitude with a generous credit on all future journeys with us!