Surrogacy process

• Generous. Almost 90% of surrogate mothers find joy giving to others. They demonstrate that through their actions. For instance, more than 50% regularly volunteer and nearly half are registered blood and organ donors.
• Timing. The time must be right for a surrogacy contract. Over 80% of women interested in surrogacy examine the timing for their family and turn to their inner circle for support about the decision.
• Empathy. Two-thirds of surrogate mothers have first-hand experience with a friend or family member’s struggle with infertility.
• Financial Incentive. The financial incentive of the gestational surrogacy process is meaningful to surrogate mothers. More than 60% report it will help create a safety net for paying down debt, saving for their family’s future, etc.

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 this 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.

• Part 1: 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 as an intended parent to provide for the emotional, financial, and logistical support you will need for your parentage 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.
• Part 2: Set Your Expectations. We can introduce you to other intended parents who have had success in family building by working with a gestational surrogate or carrier. They can give you straight answers about the path ahead. We will discuss in detail your hopes for the future and your experiences to date, so we can create a journey that meets and exceeds your expectations.
• Part 3: Plan 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.

As your surrogacy agency, we will help you find a surrogate mother who is healthy and qualified. We do this in four parts:

• Getting Started. When you retain us to recruit and match you with a surrogate mother, 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..
• Finding Compatible Relationships. We will assign you a Match Expert who will guide you through our proprietary matching process. Matching Matters®, and quickly connect you with your hand-selected 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.
  
  With a 97% success rate after the first introduction, and working consistently faster than any other surrogacy 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 the surrogate mother. That’s why we put so much support around 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 their 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 clinic 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 clinic, you will execute a legal contract with one another that confirms surrogacy 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 for in vitro fertilization (IVF). 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 as “established.”

Before you know it, it will be time to prepare for your baby’s arrival. This is an exciting time for intended mothers and intended fathers. Here are a few steps to consider in your preparation:

• Transfer Surrogate to Obstetrician. As your pregnancy continues, your fertility clinic will determine when is the right time for your surrogate’s obstetrician to take responsibility for your surrogate’s medical procedures and care, as well as your baby’s. 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.
• Make a Birth Plan. During the middle of your surrogate’s 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.
• Celebrate 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!

Finally, your surrogacy journey has come to a close and your dreams have been fulfilled. There are a few final pieces to the surrogacy process as you conclude your journey:

• Continued Support. Our surrogacy agency works 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 Accounts. We ensure your monies are properly accounted for and ensure your escrow account is closed, with any remaining funds returned to you.
• Starting 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.