Surrogacy Journey: What to expect!
If you’re here, there’s a good chance surrogacy has been on your mind. Maybe you’re curious. Maybe you love being pregnant and want to help another family. Maybe the compensation could truly help your own family right now.
Whatever brought you here, I’m glad you found us!
I know this process can feel exciting, but also intimidating when you start searching for answers. My goal is to make it feel human, clear, and supported from day one.
You are not just filling out an application here. You’re talking to real people who care deeply about the women we work with.
Our surrogates are responsible and mature. We rely on you to make doctor appointments, take medication as instructed, and understand and accept the risks of pregnancy, both physical and emotional. But let’s not forget that you’ll be undergoing one of the most amazing journeys and helping another couple achieve their dreams.
Step 1: Finding your match
It all starts with your application. Once we receive it, someone from our team (a real person, not a robot) will reach out to set up a conversation. We’ll go over your qualifications, answer every question you have, and make sure you have everything you need to feel good about moving forward.
If you decide to proceed, we’ll build out a profile for you that gets shared with intended parents who are looking for their perfect match. We take the matching process seriously. We want to connect you with a family that genuinely aligns with your values and your vision for the pregnancy, because this relationship is so important.
Once we identify a potential match, we’ll set up a time for you to connect with the intended parents, by phone, video, or in person. You’ll know pretty quickly if it feels right.
Step 2: Medical and psychological testing
After a match is confirmed, the intended parents’ IVF clinic will initiate medical and psychological screening. This typically includes a physical exam, a Pap smear, infectious disease testing, a hysteroscopy, and a psychological evaluation. You’ll travel to the clinic for this, and we’ll be right there with you throughout the process to answer questions and make sure you feel prepared.
Step 3: Legal clearance
Before anything medical happens, everyone gets their own attorney. The intended parents’ attorney drafts the legal agreement, and we connect you with an attorney of your own, at no cost to you, to review everything, ask questions, and negotiate any changes. You should feel completely comfortable with every detail before you sign.
Step 4: Your cycle begins
Once medical and legal clearance are both confirmed — 🎉 — the clinic puts together a medication calendar customized for you. You’ll take medications for a few weeks leading up to the embryo transfer, and typically through the first trimester to support healthy hormone levels for the baby.
About ten days after the transfer, you’ll take a pregnancy test. If it’s positive, you’ll have a few follow-up blood draws over the next couple of weeks to confirm that hormone levels are rising well. About a month after transfer, an ultrasound will confirm the pregnancy.
During your first trimester, the fertility clinic manages your care. As you get closer to the end of the first trimester, your care transitions to your own OB, and from there, it looks and feels just like your previous pregnancies.
Step 5: Throughout the pregnancy
Your compensation typically begins once the pregnancy is confirmed and continues throughout your journey. From there, you and the intended parents decide together how you’d like to stay connected — some surrogates love having the parents at appointments, others prefer to send updates directly. There’s no right or wrong way, and we’ll support whatever works best for everyone.
As you near your due date, arrangements are made for the parents to be at the hospital for the birth of their baby. It’s a moment that is genuinely hard to put into words.
Becoming a surrogate is an amazing gift, and one that will change your life! We’re here to support you every step of the way, and we hope you’ll join us on this incredible journey.
Interested in learning more? Check out our Surrogacy page for helpful information or contact us to schedule a consultation.
