Surrogacy transforms lives and offers hope to families and individuals who might have no other way of welcoming a child. So whether you’re hoping to welcome a child via surrogacy or you’re considering serving as a surrogate, spend some time getting to know the steps.
However, as you review the process, don’t let it intimidate you. The Accel Conceptions team handles the logistics of it all so you can relax and await that exciting day when the baby arrives.
In the meantime, find out what surrogacy involves, how it works and what you can expect throughout the process.
What is Surrogacy?
First, let’s define surrogacy. This is a method of assisted reproduction where a woman carries and delivers a child for someone else. When entered into with careful planning, surrogacy is a legally binding contract between the intended parents and the surrogate detailing rights and responsibilities for both parties.
There are two types of surrogacy:
- Gestational: This type of surrogacy is more common. It is when the surrogate has no biological relationship with the child. In these cases, an egg – either from the intended mother or donated – is joined with sperm – either the father’s sperm or that of a donor – to create an embryo. That embryo is then implanted into the surrogate’s womb via in vitro fertilization.
- Traditional: In this surrogacy type, the surrogate uses her own egg and the sperm of a donor or the intended father. The reason this is less common is because it is more legally complex since the surrogate then has biology tied to the child.
Accel Conceptions specializes in gestational surrogacy since it is clearer to navigate from a legal standpoint and often results in both parties being pleased with the outcome.
Who Might Consider Surrogacy?
Anyone can benefit from welcoming a child via surrogacy. However, some common situations we see include the following.
- Individuals or couples struggling with infertility
- Parents who cannot safely carry a pregnancy due to medical history or existing conditions
- LGBTQ+ couples
- Single parents
- Parents with a history of miscarriage or failed IVF attempts
Ultimately, surrogacy offers a way for parents to welcome a child who shares their genetics when other means are not available to them.
Understanding the Surrogacy Process
As you embark on your surrogacy journey, spend some time getting to know what to expect. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of what you can expect when working with Accel Conceptions.
1. Initial Consultation
First, we’ll get to know you, your needs and the preferences you have around growing your family or offering the gift of carrying a baby for someone else. Part of our job is to match intended parents with surrogates, based on their preferences, communication methods, location, and the legalities. This helps everyone move forward confidently and makes for the most enjoyable process for all parties involved.
2. Medical and Psychological Screening
Once we know more about you, we spend time completing a medical and psychological assessment. This further helps us prepare for matching surrogates and intended parents. It also helps us understand whether you’ll need donor eggs or sperm on your way to becoming parents.
For surrogates, it helps our team ensure they are ready to carry a baby to term with minimal complications and surprises.
3. Legal Agreements
Once we’ve ensured a good fit between intended parents and the surrogate, we’re ready to draft the legal contracts that help protect everyone involved. Some crucial items we’ll ensure are outlined in your contract include:
- Parental rights
- Financial agreements
- Medical decisions
You won’t have to sweat the process of hiring a reproductive law attorney. We have legal experts on our team to handle this important process and ensure the process goes according to plan. This is one of the largest benefits of working with a surrogacy agency instead of trying to go it alone or piecemeal your team of experts together on your own.
4. Fertility Treatments and Embryo Transfer
The surrogate will undergo hormone treatments to help prepare her body for embryo implantation. Likewise, if the intended parents will be using their own eggs and sperm, they’ll be undergoing their own processes to prepare for harvesting the egg and fertilizing it.
Once ready, the fertilized egg is transferred to the surrogate’s uterus.
5. Pregnancy
Once Accel Conceptions confirms that the surrogate has successfully gotten pregnant, the process transitions to focusing on a healthy pregnancy with the agreed-upon communication that helps keep the surrogate and intended parents connected throughout the process.
The surrogate will complete regular prenatal care and receive additional support throughout her pregnancy from the Accel Conceptions team.
6. Birth
At delivery, the intended parents might be present if it is outlined that way in the legal agreement. Otherwise, they’ll meet the baby after birth and complete the required legal documents for their parental rights.
Do I Have to Use a Surrogacy Agency?
No, some couples choose to find their own surrogate and work with a reproductive rights attorney directly for completing a surrogacy journey. However, know that this arrangement is more complex, could lead to misunderstandings between the intended parents and surrogate, and might not protect the rights of everyone involved. While your attorney might outline the crucial aspects of detailing parental rights, they are not as skilled as an agency at detailing other facets of the journey, such as how often you’ll receive word from the surrogate about the pregnancy, its progress or even sonogram photos so you can be a part of the pregnancy in a way that is meaningful to you.
Why Work with Accel Conceptions
Choosing the right surrogacy agency is a crucial first step in getting started with the process. Some reasons to choose Accel Conceptions include:
- Compassionate, personalized care
- Full transparency
- Ethical practices
- Legal, medical and emotional support
- Surrogate matching and screening process
- Supportive services for intended parents and surrogates
Surrogacy is not just a medical process. It is an emotional journey for all parties involved. Having an agency that understands and respects you can help you have the best experience. Get started now by contacting our team. We’re here to answer questions and support you as you evaluate surrogacy.