Introduction
Starting a family through surrogacy can feel both exciting and overwhelming. Understanding what to expect will ease concerns and help you navigate the journey smoothly. Whether you’re an intended parent or a surrogate mother, knowing each step of the surrogacy process can make the experience more positive.
The surrogacy process involves important legal, medical, and emotional steps that bring new life into the world.
But this path isn’t always straightforward. There may be many unexpected twists along the way.
Here are 10 things you should expect during the surrogacy process.
1. Choosing the Right Surrogacy Clinic or Agency
Your first and most important decision is selecting a surrogacy clinic or agency. This choice shapes the entire experience, from medical procedures to legal support and emotional guidance. A reliable surrogacy clinic will explain each phase with clear communication, providing reassurance and structure.
Surrogacy agencies help connect intended parents with the right surrogate. They handle legal contracts, medical screenings, and emotional support. Take time to research, ask about their success rates, and find out which services are included.
2. The Matching Process: Finding the Right Surrogate Mother
After you’ve chosen a surrogacy agency or clinic, you’ll focus on finding the right surrogate mother. This step is crucial and intimate. Agencies often have strict screening processes to ensure surrogates are healthy and emotionally prepared.
You’ll meet potential surrogates to ensure you share a strong connection before moving forward. Building trust is essential, as this relationship will last throughout the pregnancy.
3. The Legal Process: Contracts and Protections
Before medical procedures begin, you and the surrogate mother will need to sign a legal contract. This document outlines the rights, responsibilities, and expectations of both parties, protecting everyone involved.
Although the legal process can seem complex, it’s designed to safeguard all participants. It’s essential to consult a lawyer with surrogacy experience to ensure everything is in order. Surrogacy clinics or agencies often have legal experts on hand, but independent legal advice can be valuable too.
4. Medical Screening for the Surrogate
Once you’ve chosen your surrogate, she’ll undergo thorough medical screening. This step confirms that the surrogate mother is healthy and capable of carrying a pregnancy to term. Her screening typically includes blood tests, ultrasounds, and psychological evaluations.
When her medical results meet the requirements, the surrogacy process moves forward.
5. Fertility Treatments and Embryo Transfer
After medical clearance, fertility treatments begin. The intended mother or an egg donor provides eggs, which are fertilized in a lab to create embryos. The clinic will then transfer these embryos into the surrogate mother’s uterus in a procedure known as embryo transfer.
This crucial moment often brings a mix of excitement and nerves for intended parents. Surrogacy clinics ensure that the embryo transfer is done with precision and care.
6. Emotional Support: What to Expect
Throughout the surrogacy process, both intended parents and surrogates experience a range of emotions. Surrogacy can bring joy, stress, hope, and anxiety at different times. Managing these feelings is key to a positive experience.
Many surrogacy clinics offer counseling or emotional support groups to help all parties navigate their emotions during the process.
7. Pregnancy Milestones and Updates
Once the surrogate is pregnant, she will share regular updates about the pregnancy. Milestones like hearing the first heartbeat, seeing the first ultrasound, and feeling the baby’s first kicks are moments that intended parents cherish.
Good communication throughout the pregnancy helps both the intended parents and surrogate build a stronger bond and stay connected as they celebrate these milestones together.
8. Managing the Surrogate Mother’s Care
During the pregnancy, the surrogate mother will attend regular medical appointments, follow health guidelines, and take necessary medications to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Surrogacy clinics carefully manage every aspect of her care.
Intended parents usually cover the cost of the surrogate mother’s medical expenses and prenatal care. Surrogacy agencies provide detailed cost breakdowns so that there are no financial surprises.
9. The Birth: A Life-Changing Moment
As the birth approaches, anticipation builds. Many surrogacy contracts allow intended parents to be present at the birth, offering a deeply emotional and life-changing experience.
Surrogacy clinics often coordinate with hospitals to ensure a smooth and comfortable birthing experience for both the surrogate and intended parents.
10. Post-Birth Legal Steps and Emotional Closure
After the birth, there are legal steps to finalize the transfer of parental rights to the intended parents. Depending on your location, this may involve a legal process like obtaining a parentage order.
Emotionally, both the surrogate mother and intended parents may need time to adjust. Surrogacy agencies often provide post-birth counseling or emotional support to help everyone navigate the transition.
Conclusion: The Support You Need with NewHopePoints
Although the surrogacy process may seem complex, having the right team by your side makes all the difference. NewHopePoints supports intended parents and surrogates through every step of this journey, ensuring that the process is filled with care, compassion, and expert guidance. We are here to help make your dream of starting a family a reality.