Frequently Asked Questions Parents Ask About Surrogacy

You only reimburse the surrogate for her time while she is pregnant. If you wish to proceed with an additional transfer there are some monthly payments that will still be required to be paid. For example;  insurance premiums, the surrogates’ monthly allowance, etc.

The agency fee is not increased if you wish to have twins. However, the costs for other aspects of the surrogacy do increase accordingly. For example; the surrogate’s living expenses, clothing allowance and monthly allowance just to name a few. Your main concern should be the medical bills associated with a twin pregnancy and birth. Pregnancies with more than one baby are considered “high risk” and preterm delivery is often the result. Babies born prematurely are typically placed in the NICU for monitoring which becomes extremely expensive. The newborn babies are NEVER placed on the surrogate’s insurance and thus baby insurance must be purchased by the parents, which is another cost to take into consideration.

This amount varies as we get such a large amount of surrogate applications monthly. For most of our parents there is no real benefit in having a surrogate located in CA versus a different state.

It’s best to discuss this with your IVF clinic as they are a big determining factor. Success rates are dependent on many factors including embryo quality. Please contact your IVF clinic to better understand. If you need a referral to the best IVF clinics in the field, please let us know and we’d be happy to make some recommendations for your family.

Payments are typically made via secure wire transfers to your trust account. On some rare occasions we can accept payments to your trust account via your credit card. (This pertains to surrogacy cycles only.)

A repeat surrogate is not necessarily better than a first time surrogate. Every surrogate goes through a very thorough screening process which includes a medical and psychological screening. These screenings confirm whether or not she is a good candidate for surrogacy.

To be considered a “repeat surrogate” a woman must have given birth to a live surrogate baby in the past. “First-time” surrogates are typically going through this process for the first time. All surrogates must have had at least one child for themselves in order to qualify for our program.

If you are unable to come to the U.S. due to problems with your visa, you MUST contact our agency and the legal office at least 6 weeks prior to the estimated delivery date. Once notified we will work together to ensure you have an appointed family member here in the U.S. in time to get your baby.

No she cannot take your baby home.  The baby will stay in the hospital until you arrive.

Please contact your surrogacy coordinator first and then your attorney if you feel your surrogate is in breach of the contract.

You will need to arrive in the U.S at least one to 1-2 weeks prior to your baby’s birth and you will stay in the states at least 4 to 8 weeks after. It can take up to 4 to 8 weeks to obtain the documents needed to go back home.

As soon as you have embryo’s created and/or a donor secured in place, is the best time to start looking for a surrogate.

No additional fees will occur for working with an out of state surrogate.

Working with a surrogate outside of CA can be the same as working with a surrogate that lives in CA. We thoroughly research each state’s current laws to ensure that we can proceed with your match prior to moving forward. Thankfully, there are only a few states that do not allow surrogacy.

You only reimburse the surrogate for her time while she is pregnant. If you wish to proceed with an additional transfer there are some monthly payments that will still be required to be paid. For example;  insurance premiums, the surrogates’ monthly allowance, etc.

Yes! In fact we specialize in this type of virtual communication.  Everything can be done via email, telephone call, Skype, WeChat and in-person if you desire.  Parents are required to be at the birth of their baby and must stay for a short time after the birth before taking them home. We pride ourselves on having good communication with you and your surrogate throughout the process. Your IVF physician may have additional travel requirements for their services.

There are a lot of factors involved in this process, which makes it difficult to give exact timeframes. The matching process can be fairly quick (a few weeks) or take longer (a few months) depending on any preferences you have for your surrogate or anything your IVF physician has stipulated. Once you have matched with your surrogate, the medical screening process usually takes approximately 1 month to complete and then another month to complete the legal process. After the legal process is completed, the cycle can begin in accordance with your IVF physician’s protocol. Once pregnant, barring any unforeseen complications, you can expect a normal pregnancy time-frame.

If the parents wish to do so, they can have their surrogate sign a HIPAA with their OB physician’s office after they graduate from the IVF clinic. This will allow the parents to contact the OB directly for updates regarding the pregnancy. We also have the ability to have the surrogates undergo random drug screenings at the request of their IPs in accordance with their contract. Aside from her regular doctor’s appointments, our surrogates all meet with our in-house Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist once a month. Our surrogates not only work with their regular coordinators, but also have regular access to our Care Coordinators, which are a team of experienced surrogates who are available to answer any questions and concerns that only a prior surrogate can answer. Beginning in September 2017, we’re also offering Surrogate Virtual Meet Ups where our surrogates can join a private group of surrogates where they can support and encourage one another with the help of our LMFTs.

Although our rates of success are measured differently than those of IVF physicians, we have seen our delivery rates increase drastically in the last few years. In 2014 we had 67 babies born and that doubled in 2015 with 130 healthy babies born to happy parents . In 2016 we had 136 babies born, however the majority of those babies were singleton pregnancies, whereas there were more twins born in 2015. We always strive for healthy surrogates and babies, so quality is always preferred over quantity.

On average, our Surrogacy Admissions team receives approximately 200 new surrogate applications each month. After our extensive screening process, about 25% of those go on to become surrogate mothers. This is in part due to ASRM guidelines and recommendations made by the physicians and attorneys that we work with. While many women may want to become surrogates, not all can meet the high standards required to help have a healthy pregnancy and ultimately, a healthy baby.