Surrogate Process
Surrogacy Process
What are the Surrogacy Process Steps?
Create a Surrogate Application
Request Prenatal and Delivery Records from your OB or GYN and Hospital
Should we determine that you are right for surrogacy we will request you prenatal and delivery records and a pap smear. These records will be reviewed to determine if you can carry a pregnancy and deliver without complications. We will give you a clearance letter for your ob/gyn to complete.
Medical Evaluation with Primary doctor
Psychological Evaluation
Our psychologist will contact you to administer an MMPI and meet with you and your spouse to discuss the psychological aspects of surrogacy and answer questions you may have.
Criminal Background Check
Intended Parents Matching
During the screening process, we will match you with a family that meets your expectations. We’ll begin by asking several questions to understand your journey expectations for the surrogacy so that we can match.
Once we approve your application, your profile will be sent to the parents for their review. If they are interested, we will send you, their profile. If everyone agrees, we will schedule a video chat meeting or if everyone is close by, we will meet in our office. Matching can happen within 30 days or sooner, but we always have parents’ embryo ready that are right for you.
Case Management
You will receive case management as soon as your are accepted into our program. The case manager will provide guidance and support throughout the application stage to post-partum.
Fertility Medical Screening
You will complete medical screening with the intended parents fertility doctor who will be conducting the IVF cycle. In some cases, you may not be in the same state as your intended parents so this may involve travel. The travel expenses for you will be covered by the intended parents. During your evaluation, you will have a physical examination, blood drawn and an evaluation of your uterus and a saline sonogram to identify abnormalities. The medical screening results take two weeks or more for the results.
Legal Agreement
When you are medically cleared, the legal process begins. You will complete a legal contract between you and the intended parents to establish the terms of the surrogacy. The legal process does not take long. You will not be able to begin injectable medications until your legal clearance has been sent to the fertility clinic. This process clears you to start IVF treatment and your calendar will be issued with an embryo transfer date.
Embryo Transfer Process
The cycle medications will be shipped to you, and the clinic will provide detailed instructions on how to administer the medication and what dosages to take. If you need assistance with the medications, your assigned case manager with our agency can visit your home or do a videochat to show you how to administer the medications. You usually will have a lot of email communication and sometimes instructions via a portal from the clinic. You will also have local monitoring appointments at a fertility clinic near you. These appointments will involve blood draw and an ultrasound. Once your treatment is complete and your uterus is ready, the embryo transfer will take place. You will travel to the fertility clinic for the procedure.
The embryo transfer procedure is easy and painless. You are awake and the doctors goes into your vagina with a catheter with a thin tube and inserts 1 embryo into the top of your uterus.
The first pregnancy test occurs about 10 days after the transfer. You can test sooner at home to see the progression.
Pregnancy
Once a pregnancy is confirmed, you will continue some of your IVF medications until 10-12 weeks of pregnancy, at which time you will be released to the care of your local ob/gyn. You can keep your current ob/gyn and deliver at a hospital of your choice. Fertility Heaven provides case management with our own nurse practitioner. She can assist with basic medical information or be someone just to talk to about anything. You will also have access to our Facebook group which was formed to provide support and answer questions you may have during your journey.
Delivery Preparation
In your second trimester the lawyer will start the legal process. In many cases a birth order will be sent to the hospital administrators. The hospital will become aware that the baby is going home with its parents.
Delivery Day
The parents will cut the umbilical cord. The baby will stay with its parents in their own room. When they are discharged from the hospital, the baby goes home with the parents.
