Surrogacy Process

Learn about the surrogacy process for surrogates

When you reach out to our surrogacy agency to discuss becoming a surrogate, we want to have a two-way conversation where we both get to know each other. We are happy to explain the surrogacy process and answer all of your questions along the way.

We will also take some time to learn more about you and why you are considering helping others through surrogacy. Our focus is on helping you explore surrogacy and your motivations, so you can determine if this path is right for you. We encourage you to come to this conversation ready to provide basic information about your prior pregnancies and general medical history. It may be helpful to review our surrogacy requirements prior to this discussion.

What is the step-by-step process of surrogacy for first-time carriers?

If you’d like to move forward, here’s what you can expect the process to look like.

Step 1 – Complete your personal surrogacy profile

If you are eligible and choose to move forward, you will complete a profile with details about your medical history, lifestyle, values and preferences related to surrogacy. Your answers will ultimately be made available to intended parents who may be looking for your specific values and traits.

Step 2 – Background checks and medical records review

Carrying a child for another family is a big responsibility and a commitment to helping someone else achieve a dream that may have once seemed impossible. Before moving forward, we will perform extensive background checks and review your medical records, a process that may take several weeks. You will also review your records in a virtual visit with a maternal fetal medicine (MFM) physician, where you can get answers to any questions or concerns. Once you have the green light from the MFM, you will move on into the next step in the surrogacy process.

Step 3 – Psychological evaluation, home visit and health insurance review

We will arrange for you to meet with a mental health professional experienced in surrogacy, who will explore with you your feelings and expectations about the process. We want you to be open and honest about your motivations to become a surrogate, as well as what you envision the experience will be like. You can also ask your counselor any questions, so that you can explore what’s in your own heart before deciding exactly what you are looking for in your intended parents. Around this time, we will also arrange for a professional virtual home visit and health insurance review.

Step 4 – Matching

The next step in the surrogacy process is one of the most exciting parts: learning who your intended parents will be! We will share your surrogacy profile with waiting intended parents who meet the criteria you are looking for in a match, using our extensive experience to make recommendations and give advice based on what we know makes a good match successful. To help make the perfect match, we consider factors that are important to both of you, looking for similarities in values, interests, activities, personalities and preferences.

You will have a video conference call in which you, and your significant other (if applicable), can meet the intended parents and get to know each other. We will facilitate and guide that call, ensuring that important expectations are discussed.

Step 5 – Medical screening

Once a match is made, you will visit the intended parents’ IVF clinic, where their reproductive endocrinologist or infertility doctor will perform a thorough physical examination to assess your overall health and reproductive system. Depending on where you live, you may need to travel for this appointment, and we will make all arrangements. At this time, you may get to meet your intended parents in person and begin your beautiful relationship.

In the coming weeks, you can expect to undergo screening tests for drugs and alcohol, infectious diseases, hormone levels, blood type and other factors. You will also have imaging studies to ensure that your uterus is healthy and able to support a pregnancy. During this time, the intended parents will consult with a mental health provider to ensure they are ready to move ahead.

Step 6 – Legal agreements and funding

With medical screening completed, the intended parents’ attorney will draft the legal contract and share it with your attorney. You will review and make changes with your attorney while the intended parents will review the contract with their attorney. These documents protect both you and the intended parents by outlining rights, responsibilities, financial arrangements and expectations of all parties. Before signing, you will have the opportunity to review these legally binding agreements. It’s perfectly normal for a few drafts to be written before everyone is comfortable with the final agreement. Our surrogacy agency will help you obtain a life insurance policy, and the intended parents will fully fund a trust or escrow account to secure the funds in place that will support your needs.

Step 7 – Embryo transfer and pregnancy test

At this point, you’re ready to get pregnant! Under the care of a reproductive endocrinologist, you will be prescribed medications (pills, patches, injectables and vaginal inserts) to prepare for and support pregnancy. You will receive a detailed calendar outlining the whole process, so you know exactly what medications to take and when. You will also have several appointments for ultrasound and blood test monitoring, to ensure your uterus is ready to receive an embryo.

Then, the most exciting and magical moment of all: the embryo transfer. This is a quick outpatient procedure, much like a pap smear, followed by a pregnancy test nine to 10 days later. Pregnancy is confirmed through blood tests, and an ultrasound confirms a fetal heartbeat between five and seven weeks of gestation.

Step 8 – Enjoy the pregnancy

At the end of the first trimester, you will begin having regular visits to a local OBGYN, just as you would with any other pregnancy. The intended parents will make decisions about prenatal screenings. In the second trimester, you’ll have detailed fetal scans and other routine tests to ensure that you and the baby are both healthy.

During the pregnancy, you will have continuous support from the Les Petits Surrogacy (LPS) team and will stay in touch with the intended parents to share updates. We will be checking in frequently, providing emotional support and guidance. You can reach out to us any time you need us. Our mission is to ensure that you are comfortable and healthy throughout the pregnancy.

Step 9 – Welcome the baby to the world

Finally, the best part of the surrogacy process is here! With help from the LPS team, you and the intended parents will coordinate a detailed birth plan that respects your wishes. On the big day, you and the intended parents will all celebrate the birth of a beautiful new life, together.

After delivery, we will ensure that you have all medical supplies, support and postpartum care you will need during your recovery. For three months after the birth, we will be there for you to help you transition back to your pre-pregnancy life, emotionally and physically.