Tag Archives: surrogacy

Surrogacy – Possible Medical Risks

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Gestational surrogacy is an emotionally overwhelming process. Finding a professional surrogacy agency, preparing for the program, going through IVF, transferring an embryo to surrogate and waiting for the positive results… There are more details in between these steps.

 

It is a great relief when everything is completed successfully and your gestational carrier(surrogate mother) is now bearing your baby. The most complicated and complex tasks are already left behind. The fact that embryo transfer and implantation was successful is already a huge step forward.

 

Gestational problems are not very likely to occur to a surrogate mother  and we will further explain why. However, because there is still a chance that pregnancy can go wrong, intended parents should be informed about possible medical risks of surrogacy.

 

Health of a surrogate mother is observed and monitored intensively before admitting her to the program. Her medical history must be absolutely suitable for a future pregnancy. A lot of agencies require that surrogate is already a mother to a healthy child. Unhealthy habits (smoking, drinking alcohol and etc) have to be absent absolutely. Intended parents are and should be allowed to request any information concerning their gestational carrier’s medical and mental health. After such a close observation and control, surrogate mother is very likely to have a successful pregnancy and deliver a healthy child.

 

However, let us address possible medical risks of surrogacy anyway.

 

Possible medical risks

Surrogate mothers, similar to any other females are likely to experience slight weaknesses that accompany nearly every gestation. Symptoms may include :

  • Sickness
  • Mood swings
  • Change in appetite
  • Nausea
  • Slight abdominal and lower back pain

 

If any of the symptoms are no longer mild and cause a serious discomfort, surrogate mother should address a healthcare provider and inform the surrogacy agency as soon as possible.

 

Severeness of any symptom may lead to miscarriage, preterm labour and other serious complications.  Pregnancy may seem healthy  but it is still possible for gestational carriers to experience common types of pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes,preeclampsia and so on). Baby might inherit genetic abnormality from intended parents that needs to be captured on time.

 

As already mentioned, surrogate mothers may experience mood swings. Sometimes it is emotionally intimidating to carry a baby for 9 months, monitor your and his/her health throughout the process, go through labour and finally have to give the baby up (independent of having no biological connection to the child).

 

If needed, surrogate mothers should have the ability to attend therapies. Agency should explain to them  the distribution of roles in surrogacy and reinforce the position of both sides in legal documents.

 

What should be done for the best results?

First of all, commissioning parents have to discuss all scenarios with their surrogacy agencies :

 

  • What are the medical risks of surrogacy?
  • What will happen if gestational mother has pregnancy complications?
  • How do we know that surrogate visits doctors regularly?
  • What is the backup plan?
  • How are we sure that surrogate will give up the child? (This is not an issue in countries where surrogacy is regulated by the law  – Ukraine and Georgia are perfect examples.)

 

Commissioning parents should request and receive regular information about :

 

  • Surrogate mother’s health
  • Baby’s health
  • The course of pregnancy
  • Test results

 

Surrogacy agency, on the other hand, is responsible for :

 

  • Controlling surrogate’s visits to health care provider
  • Collection of medical data
  • Informing intended parents

 

Independent from their motivation , surrogate mothers are doing an amazing job delivering babies to their biological parents.To avoid any kind of complications and medical risks, like any other female –  lifestyle, mental and physical health of gestational carrier  has to be monitored on regular basis.

 

Implantation Failure

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Journey to parenthood is sometimes full of obstacles and challenges. Before reaching a healthy pregnancy, female organism has to complete several complicated stages. It happens that our bodies are not always capable of dealing with their tasks. Implantation failure is one of the most frustrating experiences on the way to parenthood. We have to learn about ways of helping our bodies to conduct required processes successfully.

 

What is implantation?

Once an egg is fertilized successfully, female body starts to prepare for pregnancy. Walls of the uterus start to thicken and grow in order to protect and nourish embryo throughout the following 9 months of gestation. Wall of the uterus is called endometrium and is where the fertilized egg attaches itself for further growth and development. The process of attachment is called implantation.

Accordingly, when we refer to implantation failure, we mean that fertilized egg was not able to attach itself to the wall of the uterus.

Implantation is probably one of the most complicated processes before the successful pregnancy.  Implantation failure may contribute to unexplained infertility in females. Abnormalities that occur during  implantation are indeed complicated to capture.

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) stands for procedures that aim to achieve pregnancy through surrogacy, in vitro fertilization (IVF), egg donation and etc. Throughout  ART programs, implantation failure is one of the most common occurrences. While IVF is an amazingly successful treatment of infertility, not all cycles tend to result in successful implantation.

 

Recurrent implantation failure

Recurrent implantation failure refers to inability to achieve pregnancy after four embryo transfers, provided that embryos are of a good quality. Unfortunately up to 10% of females experience implantation problems during their IVF treatment.

 

Some of the related tests and factors include :

 

  • White blood cells, leukocytes , are responsible for protecting body from infections and “invaders”. Increased level of white blood cells are found to contribute to recurrent failure of cycles. Doctors, however, may suggest to not treat this issue. It is a controversial and confusing task to treat infertility by suppressing the immune system – which is so important later during the pregnancy. Drugs suitable for treatment can be risky for mother and a child. Before the beginning of treatment, parents should consider discussing all of the possible outcomes with their doctors.
  • Endometrial scratch is the procedure when doctor passes a thin catheter through cervix. Disruptions caused by catheter rotation result in response within the endometrium and surprisingly is found to have a positive effect on endometrium ability of reception. Doctor may also pass a thin telescope into the womb and observe if there is a polyp or a scar tissue that needs to be removed.
  • It is available to observe a tissue from endometrium to find an underlying problem. Scientists claim that it is possible to analyze a number of genes (more than 200) that are associated with implantation.
  • Clotting of the blood is a further factor that can hold pregnancy from progressing. Doctor might prescribe medications to thin the blood as a part of treatment.

 

While controlling health of parents is essential, experience revealed that the cause of implantation failure is usually hiding behind egg quality and rarely behind sperm or uterus.

  • Preimplantation genetic screening is the process of removing a cell from IVF embryo and testing it for genetic conditions and chromosomal abnormalities. Studies suggest that maternal age is the typical reason behind chromosomal abnormality in embryo. If several IVF attempts are unsuccessful, using a young egg donor is likely to result in normal pregnancy. Together with female’s age, abnormalities in mature eggs increase correspondingly.

 

It is particularly hard to make predictions about implantation. Scientists still have a long way to go until they investigate this stage closely. However, above mentioned tests and facts are proved to be relevant while discovering and solving the issue.

 

Surrogacy in Russia

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Surrogacy in Russia was first practiced in 1995 and has become a popular destination for foreign patients gradually. A lot of surrogacy agencies and clinics are operating successfully and are promising to deliver the best results. However there have been several doubts about choosing Russia as a surrogacy destination. By going through the surrogacy legislation and regulations in Russia, we will discuss all of the important issues to be aware of.

 

Legislation

Surrogacy is legal and is regulated by the Family Code of Russia. According to the law, commissioning parents are not required to be married and single parents are also allowed to participate in programs. Foreigners are welcome.

Intended parents have to provide a medical assessment that proves their inability to become parents without assistance. This could include :

  • Uterus absence or deformation
  • Somatic diseases that do not allow / are dangerous for pregnancy
  • History of several IVF failures

 

Surrogate Mother

Surrogate mother is required to have at least one healthy child of her own. Her medical and mental state must be checked and observed carefully before admitting her to the program. Surrogate mother can not be an egg donor at the same time. However, despite the absence of genetic connection with the child, surrogate mothers still have full parental rights for babies. Gestational mother gives parenthood rights to commissioning parents only with her consent.

 

Commercial surrogacy plays a major role in solving the problem. Fortunately it is legal in Russia to pay a surrogate mother for the service of carrying pregnancy(similar to Ukraine, Georgia and some states of the USA). A lot of gestational mothers see surrogacy as an opportunity to live better lives with their families. Surrogacy agencies and clinics are also promising to handle all of the legal aspects themselves. However, it is still strongly advised to work with the family law agency throughout the surrogacy period.

 

Service and Costs

Surrogacy programs are offered in several Russian cities. Of  course, the most popular destination is the capital city – Moscow. Apart from being a popular tourist destination with picturesque views and great history, Moscow offers a number of medical centers with modern equipment. Surrogacy agencies have years of experience and are indeed reliable companions on the journey to parenthood. Average cost of IVF, medical care and legal support is on average 40-50 000 $. This price is considered to be affordable for surrogacy and is somewhat higher than the average cost in Ukraine, Georgia and Kenya, but still half of the price in the USA.

 

Surrogacy in Russia has no doubt a lot of advantages to go for – affordable prices, experienced agencies and clinics, well equipped medical centers. However, intended parents should note that there have been several cases when surrogate mothers refused to give up their parenthood rights. We would strongly encourage intended parents to use service of a lawyer throughout the entire process of surrogacy. Lawyer will negotiate with the gestational carrier from the very beginning and prepare all of the documents for abnegation of parenthood rights. If something goes wrong, family lawyer will also represent intended parents in court.

 

Surrogacy in Kenya

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Surrogacy in Kenya has become a very actual topic in the field of fertility. Branches of professional surrogacy agencies are operating with amazing success rate in the capital city – Nairobi. We will introduce some important details about surrogacy in Kenya and figure out why or whether it is a practical destination choice.

 

Legislation

Surrogacy in Kenya is not regulated by the law. This means that there is no act that either restricts or supports intended parents. Lack of regulations allow surrogacy agencies to act more flexibly and adjust their actions to individual needs of each patient.  Single, married and LGBT parents are all welcome  by agencies and clinics in Kenya.

Parents do not have to worry that absence of law will complicate the process of getting the birth certificate. While it is fairly simple in countries where surrogacy is legal( e.g: Ukraine,Georgia) , in Kenya parents have to go through an additional procedure. The surrogate mother signs the affidavit  relinquishing all her rights and gives custody to the genetic father. However, this is not problematic. Surrogate mothers are not likely at all to keep the child. They are providing a great help to infertile couples, but at the same time their motivation behind this action is their monetary interest. They have to improve lives of them and their families. For that reason, they will no doubt give parenthood to intended parents.

 

Quality of Service

Recently  there has been a lot of changes in the field of surrogacy worldwide. A lot countries, including India, banned it. We can say that this fact turned out somewhat advantageous for Kenya.  Indian doctors, who used to be successful when surrogacy was legal in India, are now owners of clinics in Nairobi. Thanks to professionalism of these doctors, parents do not have to worry about success rate and quality. Same applies to maternity hospitals. Of course IVF clinics are well equipped and enjoy well deserved good reputation. The last but not least, as we have already mentioned in the beginning, professional and experienced surrogacy agencies now offer their service in Kenya as well – most of them having  huge egg donor databases. Everything for the most affordable prices.

 

Nairobi , the capital city of Kenya,  is developed and modern – even closer to European cities than some cities in Southeast Asia. Travelling there is safe and a pleasant experience. Parents can even combine their visit with unforgettable safari holidays.

 

From everything we listed, we can now sum up the information.

 

Advantages
  • Service is available to single and gay parents
  • Quality of service  and success rate are high
  • City is safe, modern and developed
  • Prices are realistic and affordable

 

Disadvantages
  • Intended parents need consent of a surrogate mother

 

Verdict:  Summarizing all pros and cons, we can tell that Kenya is an attractive option to consider. While parents may have some doubts about adoption procedure, surrogacy agencies are responsible for guaranteeing in advance that there will be no problems with the surrogate mother(that is what professional agencies do). Kenya is also one of the most cost effective options not to mention that lately we have faced  lack of destinations for single and gay parents.

 

Surrogacy in Georgia

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Republic of Georgia is a well-known surrogacy destination and has the top reputation in the field of  fertility in the Caucasian region. Surrogacy has been legal since 20 years already and the country has been visited by a huge number of patients. We have to objectively evaluate the reason behind such a popularity and decide ourselves, whether surrogacy in Georgia is really worth a go.

 

Legislation

Surrogacy in Georgia is regulated by law and is legal for more than 20 years already. Only married heterosexual couples are allowed to participate in surrogacy programs. Collection of documents is a fairly simple process. Due to the regulation by law, birth certificate is issued as in any other case – it only includes the names of parents. No presence of a surrogate mother is required and neither she, nor an egg donor (if used) are mentioned in the document. The absence of bureaucracy in the country, contributes a lot to the positive experiences of parents.

 

Public service hall (“PSH”) is a unique service offered in Georgia, which allows to collect all of the needed documents in one space: be it birth or marriage certificate, ID card, passport and so on. The service is incredibly fast and comfortable. Receiving documents with such an ease, is usually a guarantee that parents will not face the delayed stay.

 

Surrogacy Agencies and IVF Clinics

The main part of the surrogacy agencies and clinics are located in the capital city – Tbilisi. The fact that surrogacy in Georgia is legal for more than 20 years already, accounts a lot for their successful operation. Years of experience and development has resulted in more than 10 in vitro clinics and professional surrogacy agencies. Stuff, including doctors, are very caring and professional. Very well equipped clinics are ready to lead any procedure.

Both agencies and clinics have a vast egg donor databases. However, usually, most of the donors have brown hair and eyes. If parents are strictly looking for an egg donor with blue/green eyes and blonde hair, they might have to choose the travelling egg donor from their service provider’s international database. Usually this could be travelling donors from Ukraine or Poland.

 

About the Country

Due to its attractive location, on the border of Asia and Europe, Georgia has served a huge number of patients from different parts of the world. The capital is a very interesting combination of an old and a modern city. According to the statistics,  Georgia is the world’s 5th safest place for living. Residents are known for their hospitality and most of them, apart from their mother tongue, speak fluent English and Russian.

You can see photos of Tbilisi here.

 

Now it is time to come to the conclusion listing pros and cons of surrogacy in Georgia.

 

Advantages

 

  • Affordable prices (In comparison to USA and Canada, prices are significantly lower)
  • Regulation by the law – no disputes as a result
  • Document collection is simple
  • Well equipped clinics
  • Experienced surrogacy agencies and in vitro clinics
  • Safety

 

Disadvantages

 

  • Less blonde and green/blue eyed donors (Parents can still choose a travelling donor from the international database).
  • Country is not the member of the EU

Strict legal EU protection does not apply to clinics. However, Georgia has just received the visa free travel with Schengen, which is also a great step forward to country’s recognition.

 

Verdict : Based on the experience we are happy to approve Georgia as an attractive destination for surrogacy. Prices are indeed affordable compared to the qualification and quality of the service offered – patients should definitely take the advantage of that.

 

Surrogacy – Possible Financial Risks

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When thinking about surrogacy and choosing destinations for either  heterosexual or LGBT parents, it is essential to mention financial factors. For example in the USA and Canada, prices are considerably higher than in Ukraine, Georgia or Mexico. However, it does not matter which destination intended parent(s) will choose – affordable or expensive. The amount to be paid is not small in any case and there are several financial risks to be aware of in advance.

 

What we are going to write about will not happen inevitably and patients will not necessarily face financial issues. It is just our great desire to prepare our readers for any kind of outcomes. For that reason, we have to discuss the worst case scenario and be sure, that future parents are well prepared psychologically and financially for any unforeseen complications. Imagine following cases:

 

Case no.1

In vitro fertilization attempt is successful on the very first time. Procedure leads to pregnancy and no additional finances for IVF are needed.

 

Case no.2

First IVF attempt did not appear to be successful and there is a chance that patients are going to need several more. Parents might have to pay for 4 or 5 procedures until the results are finally successful.

 

Case no.3

First IVF attempt did not succeed and patients need to try further. They have already purchased guaranteed surrogacy packages offered by the agency and they do not have to pay anything additionally. Clinic however, will continue doing IVF procedures until the results are successful.

 

Case no.2 has the potential to require a lot of finances and is a possible threat to the surrogacy process. If parents run out of financial resources and are not able to proceed any further, they will have to quit the program until they collect sufficient amount of funds. There is indeed no guarantee that IVF will be successful on the first try and some intended parents need much more than that. The best way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to be financially ready for about 5 IVF attempts. Parents should always have a solid financial backup for unforeseen situations.

 

When talking about best practices, case no.3 would be a perfect example. A lot of agencies are offering so called guaranteed surrogacy packages. This means that initially, parents pay somewhat higher fee for the package. In case of failures, further IVF attempts are already included in the package and until success, clinic performs further attempts absolutely free of charge.

 

Patients may not want to purchase the guaranteed surrogacy package for some personal reason and prefer to rely on extra funds that will be put off for unpredicted circumstances. However, readers should definitely take into consideration that the agencies, which offer guarantee packages are usually more organized and have a higher success rate in comparison to ones that do not.

 

Surrogacy in Ukraine

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Ukraine is considered as one of the most popular surrogacy destinations for heterosexual couples. We are going to introduce some of the interesting details and then try to decide, whether Ukraine is a suitable choice to consider.

 

Ukraine is one of those very few countries in Europe that are accepting surrogacy. The capital Kiev is a safe, active, developed and a beautiful city. The development of the country matters in our case, because it is connected with the quality of medical service as well. No worries, in Kiev there are several professional surrogacy agencies and a number of clinics with high quality service and equipment. There are medical centers in other cities as well (Odessa, Lviv, Kharkov and so on). Success rate of IVF is as high as up to 60%. Doctors are professional and caring. Pricing whatsoever is relatively affordable (up to 50% lower) in comparison with USA and Canada.

 

Surrogacy in Ukraine is legal, which obviously means that it is regulated by the law. Regulations are indeed advantageous for intended parents for the following reasons :

 

  • No need of adoption

Ukrainian law allows to issue birth certificates with intended parents’ names. No matter what the real biological tree looks like, baby’s documents will only have the names of IP(s) in them.

 

  • No disputes

Thanks to regulations, there has not been recorded even a single dispute about the custody over the child. Actually, it is not allowed for surrogate mother to be an egg donor at the same time. No genetic connection of a surrogate with a child, contributes to the absence of conflicts as well.

 

  • Families don’t experience delayed stays 

No complications with documents + no dispute about parental rights = no delayed stay in a foreign country.

 

Requirements for intended parents (IPs)

 

In order to participate in a surrogacy program in Ukraine, IPs have to be married. Additionally a  couple has to provide surrogacy agency and clinic with medical reports. They should prove that the couple’s decision to proceed with the program is reasonable. Conclusion should be the following – intended mother is not able to bear a baby herself, without a surrogate mother. Reasons may include :

 

  • Absence of womb
  • Deformation of uterus that makes pregnancy and delivery impossible
  • Diseases that do not allow to bear a child, because it may become fatal for mother
  • At least 4 unsuccessful IVF attempts with embryos of high quality

 

Surrogate mothers’ age should be between 20-40 years. They are required to have at least one child previously.  

To sum up, let’s list pros and cons of Ukraine as a surrogacy destination.

 

Advantages

 

  • Professional doctors
  • Well equipped clinics
  • Professional surrogacy agencies
  • Low costs
  • Simple collection of documents

 

Disadvantages

 

  • Ukraine is not a member of European Union (strict legal EU protection does not apply to clinics).

 

Verdict : When intended parents make right decisions concerning clinics and agencies, there is no need to worry about membership of EU. You can read about how to choose a right surrogacy agency on our blog. We will be offering more information gradually. Taking into account all of the advantages that the country offers, the answer is –  yes, parents can and should consider Ukraine as an attractive option for surrogacy.

 

Surrogacy Destinations for Heterosexual Couples

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It happens that surrogacy programs are sometimes the only option left for people with fertility issues. Unfortunately, it is not available at any place, as surrogacy is banned in many countries. Today, we are going to orientate on surrogacy destinations for heterosexual couples. As promised, we are not going to use a bunch of possibly complicated words without definitions , so, heterosexual couple simply means a couple of male and a female partner. You may refer to them as traditional, straight and etc.

 

We will briefly introduce surrogacy in the following countries : Ukraine, Georgia and Russia. They are considered to be in the list of the most appropriate options, because surrogacy there is legal and regulated by the law.

 

We have emphasized legality, because as you may have already read here, surrogacy programs are also offered in countries, where it is not regulated by any kind of law. It’s not legal or illegal. As for married couples, it is recommended to find agencies in Ukraine, Georgia and Russia , because such processes as citizenship registration for babies, are significantly easier.

 

Surrogacy in Ukraine

 

In Ukraine, surrogacy is only legal if intended parents (IPs) are married. Additionally, they have to provide a confirmation from a doctor that using a surrogate mother is reasonable and essential in their case. However, Ukraine is a remarkable destination due to medical standards. Legislation has enabled parents to be the only legal parents of their newborn. Due to regulations by law,  it’s relatively easy to get a birth certificate for a child and leave the country in a short period of time. Surrogate mothers are not allowed to be genetically connected to the baby, so they can not become egg donors.

 

Surrogacy in Georgia

 

Surrogacy in Georgia has been regulated since 1997 and couples from different parts of the world have travelled there to fulfill their dream of becoming parents. Similar to Ukraine, Georgia accepts only legally married couples for surrogacy programs and it is fairly simple to collect all of the needed documents. Birth certificates do not include any kind of information about surrogate mother or egg donor.  Surrogate mothers can not become egg donors at the same time. Georgia is known for high success rate in IVF fertilization as well as professional agencies and clinics.

 

Surrogacy in Russia

 

In Russia, intended parents don’t have to be married, single parents are welcome too. Prices are affordable and surrogacy agencies are doing everything to deliver the best results. However, according to the Family Code of Russia, surrogate mother, even if she doesn’t have any genetic link to the baby, is allowed to reject intended parents and refuse to give “her” child for adoption. There have been several court cases in Russia around the issue, so, if possible, IP(s) should require additional guarantees from the surrogacy agencies.

 

It is essential to be familiar with specifications and regulations before choosing a suitable destination and we recommend future parents to inform themselves as much as possible.

 

 

How to Choose your Surrogate Mother

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Should we choose surrogate mothers ourselves or should we give the freedom of choice to our surrogacy agencies?  For the sake of transparency and reliability there is a tendency in many parents to gather information and choose the surrogate mother themselves. However, we would recommend that you give the flexibility to your trusted agency and let them help you with the choice.  Reasons behind that decision are several and vary from possible complications to the need of changing the surrogate.

 

Some processes during surrogacy happen independent from our efforts and expectations. Fresh embryo transfer may need to be cancelled due to the unexpected start of surrogate’s period or vice versa, a long delay in cycle may cause uncertainty and the need to plan a new sequence of procedures. Lining of the uterus, also known as endometrium, might not reach the essential thickness for pregnancy or even more, surrogate may need to withdraw from the program due to personal reasons.  This kind of disturbances are not always the case and are not large in number but why should parents experience inconveniences?  If there is even a slight chance of complication and delay, we should always have the plan B. Professional agencies have a pretty logical solution to these problems – they have backup surrogates. Experiences show that agencies that have thought about backup choices of surrogates in advance, have much higher success rate in comparison to ones that stick to only one and the same surrogate mother. They have the ability and resources to fix unforeseen obstacles on time.

 

On the other hand, some unpleasant surprises may emerge if we do not have enough information about the surrogate mother. Agencies and partnered clinics should already have collected  and revised the following data but parents should also show interest in them :

 

Surrogate mother MUST NOT :

  • Have miscarriages and stillbirths in her medical history
  • Be a smoker or alcohol consumer

 

Surrogate mother MUST :

  • Be healthy, medically and mentally

 

Surrogate mother is recommended :

  • To already be a biological mother to a child

 

Opinions about the surrogate already being a biological mother are controversial. It is considered that once a mother, she will have higher chances to conceive the second time. Moreover,  already being familiar with the process of pregnancy and the labour itself, it is less likely that the surrogate experiences any kind of attachment towards the child.

 

Opposite to the above mentioned beliefs, we can bring the examples of Cambodia, Nepal  and Thailand. When law didn’t use to regulate surrogacy in these countries, the main requirement from the agencies was that surrogate mothers were single. For that reason, most of those women didn’t have families and accordingly, neither did they have biological children. However, this fact has not caused any kind of complications neither from medical , nor from mental point of view.

 

To sum up, assuring that surrogate has already experienced parenthood is not a must. Moreover, having one child doesn’t guarantee the 100% chance of getting pregnant twice(take the example of secondary infertility pathology) and court cases in USA and UK prove, that neither does it guarantee that surrogate is not going to get attached to a newborn.  

 

What parents should learn from examples and experiences of others, is that if they trust the agency, they should trust it completely and do it for the sake of making right choices and avoiding irreparable situations. Also parents should read our blog to know what to expect and which information to request from their  agencies. 🙂

 

Choosing the Right Surrogacy Agency

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Parenthood is no doubt one of the most life changing experiences . People tend to plan and prepare for it years in advance. While realizing that one has faced fertility issues that can not be solved without the inclusion of the surrogacy agency, then the first job is to find the reliable one. The aim is to find the service provider that will make this exciting and significant process as light, joyful and effective as possible.

 

Of course there are several ways that will help to identify in advance whether the agency is going to be trustworthy, proficient and how much effort they tend to put in your advantage.

 

Customer service

The agency has to provide prompt qualified responses to any of the customer’s requirements. Customer service should be always at your disposal and manage to earn trust and positive attitude from the very beginning of the collaboration. You should never feel that service provider simultaneously deals with multiple cases and you are just the part of their daily working routine.

 

Ability to listen

Of course every agency has its own plan. They provide you with terms and conditions, legal and financial information, follow the system that will manage all the formal parts of the agreement. However, when we put the formal routine aside,if you don’t feel the individual approach to you as a customer, then you should consider further alternatives. As we always mention, our cases and concerns are different. Agency should patiently listen to each customer  to share their very individual worries, points of view and express readiness to find the most appropriate approach.

 

Transparent financial policy

One should know what one pays for. Some of the agencies tell their customers the fixed price that they have to transfer straight to the agency’s account. The best of agencies provide parents with the detailed description of all costs clearly defined in relevant sheet with payment system and timing.   The paper has to differentiate the medical and the surrogate mother’s service fees and should be tailored in a way to make it possible the surrogate mother’s commissions to be paid directly to her. Transparently disclosed financial policy protects the customers from undesirable and unforeseen financial surprises.

 

Proper medical screening

Surrogate is going to have one of the most important roles for the next several months. The agency has to ensure that her mental and physical health are fully corresponding to the requirements and she is completely ready to proceed with the agreement.Parents should never feel uncomfortable to request all kinds of information about the state of their entrusted person.

 

Pregnancy care

During the pregnancy  female body is undergoing a number of changes, both physical and mental. Surrogate mother needs to be monitored on regular basis to ensure that the process is going on without any complications. For that reason, it is of greatest importance that the agency provides the service of individually assigned pregnancy care coordinator. This person has to be in charge of controlling surrogate mother’s systematic visits to the clinic and delivering results and up to date information to the parents. Pregnancy care coordinator is supposed to be eyes and ears of clinic, surrogate and parents throughout the whole process.

 

After birth care

After the delivery of the baby, it may be required to travel to the foreign country. Journey to a completely strange country might have some complications. Agency must be helpful after birth as well and provide the service until needed.

 

Sharing experience

The common behaviour before purchasing any product is to ask for reviews from other customers. Same works in the field of fertility.The agency should be ready to connect you with the previous customers who would like to share their positive or negative experiences, happy or sad stories regarding the whole process.

 

If the agency you were considering corresponds to all of the requirements listed above, then you are more likely to get positive experience and desired results.