5 things you Need to know about surrogacy

Are you looking for options in building your family? Is getting pregnant not an option? There are many solutions now to family planning, especially with the advancing technologies today. Surrogacy has become a popular choice for couples who have difficulty getting pregnant to grow their families. Today there are 9 children born in every state every year thru surrogacy. Like all other options, you should carefully take into account the importance of knowing all the details before jumping into it.

Here are 5 important things you need to know about surrogacy before you take this journey any further.

1. Cost.

Surrogacy does not come cheap and surrogate pay is an important thing to thoroughly evaluate. You will be taking into consideration hospital costs, IVF fees, agency fees and the surrogate’s health and nutrition. It is important to know how much expenses you will incur so you will not be shocked by them. Surrogacy can cost anywhere between $60,000 to $170,000. Depending on the hospital facilities you avail, your prices can go higher or lower. In addition, Cost of Surrogacy can vary depending on the region and country. You would be well advised to do the necessary research on something as sensitive as surrogacy and child rearing.

2. Choosing the right IVF clinics and surrogacy agency.

It would be best to do your research about the reparation of the IVF clinics and surrogacy agencies that you’ve been eyeing. Make sure to ask for any feedback from someone who has tried it and choose the ones that are highly recommended. Take time to visit the ones that made it to you list so you can narrow down the most ideal choice. Remember to always be open when

communicating with them as they will help you spot red flags with the process and even the surrogate or egg donor of your choice.

3. The People Involved

After approaching your chosen clinic and agency, everything becomes a waiting game or a contest towards the finish line. This will be a very emotional time for you and the people involved so it is best to have someone you can trust to qualify the:

1. Egg donor – choose someone with an excellent health profile, between the ages of 21 and 29 and open to donating her eggs.
2. Surrogate – one you trust or one that comes highly recommended, should be between the ages 21-41 years old, have her own healthy children and best if she has her own insurance that covers the cost. She will then be subjected to psychological testing to assure she is capable of playing the role as a surrogate.
3. Surrogacy agency – will assist you with the stressful process from start to finish. They will help you look for an egg donor if you do not have one yet, a gestational surrogate and the legal procedures needed. They will also help mediate between you and the other people involved should there be any issues along the way.
4. Support.

Having a baby is a very emotional time for anyone involved. When successful it will also be very rewarding. Pregnancy is also a challenging task a surrogate faces as it puts her life on the line. Be sure to offer as much emotional support as you can aside from handling the financial aspect. As the intended parents, you should look into how you can make the moment meaningful as long as your surrogate is comfortable with it.

5. Legal Aspects.

Some states support surrogacy while others don’t. In states that support it, a pre-birth order is processed so you will be recognized as the legal parent after birth. For states that do not support this, intended parents are asked to wait a few days before they can bring the child home. Adoption is often the process intended parents follow when their surrogate gives birth in a state that does not support it. This part is taken cared of by the agency, so although getting one is not needed, it comes highly recommended so you can concentrate on preparing of becoming a parent, leaving the legalities up to them.

There’s a lot of processes involved in surrogacy, most importantly because it involves life. This will be your child, a dream come true. It will complete your dreams of building a family. So before you decide on anything, make sure that your ducks are in a row. You should be financially, emotionally and psychologically ready for the entire process which often times goes over than a year. We often make decisions emotionally, this part demands your head over your heart.

Guide created by Natera