How Surrogacy Works
Why Choose Surrogacy?
There are many reasons for people to consider surrogacy to start or
expand their families. Perhaps a woman has found it relatively easy to
get pregnant, but then suffered repeated miscarriages. Or she has
endured a number of costly in vitro fertilization cycles without
success. Maybe a gay male couple longs to have children of their own.
The missing piece in all these scenarios is a viable womb to carry a
baby to term. This is what surrogacy provides. And
unlike adoption, surrogacy allows the intended parents to have some or
even total genetic relationship to their child, to be fully informed of
the child's entire prenatal care and health, and to take their newborn
home from the hospital without any anxious waiting or conditions. [See
FAQs for a more detailed contrast
between surrogacy and adoption.]
What Does NAFG Do?
NAFG will find you a qualified and compassionate surrogate, source an
egg and sperm donor (if necessary), guide you through the complex legal,
medical, and psychological components, and provide 24-hour support and
counseling throughout.
Surrogacy is a complicated and sensitive process that is very difficult
to accomplish successfully without expert help. At NAFG, we expend
resources to find excellent carriers, and have them screened medically,
psychologically, criminally, and financially. They are interviewed
extensively by our surrogate coordinator, an expert in the field, and by
a psychologist. The laws on surrogacy vary from state to state, and
require experienced navigation. Although NAFG itself does not perform
legal or medical services, our counsel and our president are experienced
assisted reproduction and adoption attorneys who can assemble the
appropriate legal structure for you. Medical procedures take place at a
qualified facility of your choosing. If it is necessary to include donor egg and/or
donor sperm in your plan, our coordinator will guide you wisely and
carefully.
How Do I Start?
Everyone has a unique and special situation. We at NAFG need to hear
your story in great detail so we can discuss the options available to
you. This consultation may take place in-person in Boston or New York,
or by phone or video conference. Your schedule and plan will be
customized to fit your needs. We believe in everyone's right to have a
family, and welcome people of any age, marital status, or sexual
orientation.
The First Step: Finding a Carrier
Working with our surrogate coordinator, clients will be presented with
profiles of appropriate gestational carrier candidates, found through
NAFG's extensive advertising and contacts. How long it takes to find a
carrier depends on the pool available at the time you start. It could be
right away, or take a few weeks. When you are preliminarily matched with
a carrier, we will arrange first a conference call, then an in-person
meeting supervised by one of our staff. Depending on the residences of
the parties, some travel may be required for this step. The logistics
(where the IVF and births take place) depend on the primary residence of
the intended parents as well as the residence of the carrier who will be
chosen.
NAFG offers an online surrogacy application for women interested in becoming gestational carriers.
Egg Donation (if required)
If an egg donor is required, you will have the resource of NAFG's egg
donor coordinator for direction and assistance through this process.
Clients may work with NAFG’s own donor program, one of our
recommended outside egg donor facilities or a donor program of their
choosing, according to the policy of the specific IVF participating
facility. Clients select donors by reviewing profiles of candidates.
Donor profiles are complete dossiers that include full medical history,
religious and ethnic background, education and basic biographical
information, while typically remaining anonymous. Each donor is screened
medically to make sure that she and her eggs are healthy and free of
potential disease (family history of hereditary disorders is also
investigated). Donors are screened psychologically by a licensed
counselor to ensure that they have the mental competence and maturity
required for the task. [See also Donor Egg]
Egg Retrieval and IVF
In order to increase the chances for a successful pregnancy, the
intended mother or donor is administered fertility drugs daily by
injection to increase the number of eggs she produces in her cycle. She
is also monitored daily through blood tests and ultrasound exams. The
embryo carrier will also take medications to prepare her for gestation.
The eggs are retrieved through a routine surgical procedure using a
needle and anesthesia (which does not require an overnight stay in the
hospital). The eggs are then fertilized with the intended father's or
donor's sperm, then incubated and observed for three to four days. An
average of seven to twenty eggs are retrieved. Sperm is then introduced
and embryos are formed for observation and evaluation. Typically, two to
three embryos are transferred to the gestational surrogate or intended
mother. The rest, if also viable, are frozen for later use.
Embryo Transfer
The embryos are transferred through a painless, in-patient procedure. A
pregnancy test is administered approximately fourteen days after the
embryo transfer. If the result is negative, then the transfer may be
repeated at another cycle with the frozen embryos. If necessary, the
process may start again from the beginning.
Pregnancy and Birth
The NAFG relationship manager/social worker acts as liaison between
carrier and intended parents throughout this stage. She makes sure that
the carrier is going to her regular appointments and is following other
conditions of her agreement while informing the intended parents of her
progress. Intended parents may review all medical records pertaining to
prenatal care and delivery. [The carrier provides a HIPAA-compliant
general medical release.] The relationship manager oversees the
day-to-day health and well-being of the carrier (both physical and
psychological), and serves as a resource for intended parents to prepare
for the new arrival. The relationship manager is the primary contact for
this phase, but all parties can be assured that the full staff of NAFG
is always available to them at any time, should any particular needs
arise.
After the baby is born, the intended parent(s) take their newborn from
the hospital. In some states, the intended parents will appear on the
birth certificate, and no additional legal work is required. In others,
a step-parent adoption will be necessary. Either way, the baby stays
with you from the moment he or she leaves the hospital. Congratulations!
