Why work with a surrogacy consultant?

Why should I work with a consultant rather than completing and independent journey?

Surrogacy arrangements are complex and have lots of moving parts. Surrogacy Journey Consulting allows you and your gestational carrier to get the support and guidance you need so everyone is comfortable.  Navigating the recruitment, screening and coordination of surrogacy journey on your own may be overwhelming.  Conversations about medical history and negotiations of compensation can be uncomfortable.  Surrogacy Journey Consulting can facilitate those conversations.  Once you are matched, we focus on the big picture so you and your gestational carrier can rest easy knowing that an industry professional is overseeing and guiding your journey, everyone’s needs are addressed, and nothing is overlooked.

How do I choose between a consultant and a full-service agency?

There are two, main reasons why and intended parent may choose a consultant over a full-service agency.  First, Surrogacy Journey Consulting offers many benefits of a full-service agency but at a much lower cost.  We can assist you with preparing your intended parent profile, completing initial eligibility assessments, assist candidates in collecting medical records, assist in an initial review of medical records, coordinate with your clinic and attorneys to get your gestational carrier through final eligibility review and contract preparation, coordinate outside monitoring during FET, and support and assist as needed throughout the pregnancy, delivery and postpartum period.  Our services are at a much lower cost because you are recruiting your gestational carrier, with our guidance.  Second, Surrogacy Journey Consulting offers various packages, so you only pay for the services you need.  This allows you to ensure you have the support and guidance when you need it but avoid paying for services you don’t need or don’t use.

Can I still get a full-service experience from Surrogacy Journey Consulting?

Yes!  Surrogacy Journey Consulting is all about providing you with a customized experience.  If you are looking for a full-service agency, we are happy to help!

General Information

What is the difference between a gestational surrogate, a gestational carrier and a traditional surrogate?      

“Gestational surrogate” and a “gestational carrier” both describe a woman who is carrying a pregnancy that she has no genetic relationship to (it is not her egg).  A traditional surrogate is typically inseminated and has a genetic relationship to the baby she is carrying.

Does a surrogate have a genetic relationship to the baby?

A traditional surrogate will have a genetic relationship to the baby.  You will need to consult with an attorney in the state where the surrogate lives to understand the implications of a traditional surrogacy versus a gestational surrogacy. Surrogacy Journey Consulting does not offer full-service agency services for traditional surrogates, but does offer consulting services if you have located your own traditional surrogate.

Do I need to be local to Surrogacy Journey Consulting? 

Not at all!  We can work with you no matter where you are located!

How involved is Surrogacy Journey Consulting once we are matched and the cycle starts? 

With our Level 2 package, Surrogacy Journey Consulting continues to assist after matching – overseeing your clinic’s final eligibility determination, making referrals to attorneys, ensuring contract negotiations do not stall, setting up escrow and securing insurance placements, and coordinating in preparation for FET and early pregnancy monitoring.  With our Level 3 package, we continue to provide support, guidance, coordination and assistance through the pregnancy, delivery and postpartum period, including ensuring medical bills are properly processed and paid.  This allows you to focus on your baby and your relationship with your gestational carrier because we take care of everything else!

Will Surrogacy Journey Consulting work with us if we are not married?

Absolutely!  This is not an issue for proceeding with a surrogate, but an important consideration in thinking about what state your surrogate should deliver in.  It is also a consideration for your lawyer in planning for parentage determinations. 

Will Surrogacy Journey Consulting work with same sex couples?

Absolutely!  Please contact us to discuss the significance of what state your surrogate should deliver in and how to plan for parentage determinations pre and/or post-delivery. 

Will Surrogacy Journey Consulting work with a single intended parent? 

Absolutely! Please contact us to discuss your specific circumstances and the significance of what state your surrogate should deliver in and how to plan for parentage determinations pre and/or post-delivery. 

Will my surrogate’s health insurance cover the pregnancy? 

Maybe.  Some health insurance policies will cover a surrogate pregnancy, some exclude it and some do not address the question.

Will Surrogacy Journey Consulting work with international intended parents? 

Absolutely!  Each country has a different policy with regard to handling children born of surrogate pregnancies in the United States.  Please contact us to discuss the special circumstances associated with your home country.  We can also assist in locating a local attorney to assist with the immigration and parentage issues when you return home with your baby.  We generally recommend consultation with an attorney in your home country before embarking on a surrogacy journey so we can be confident in a smooth process for bringing your baby home.

What kind of support does Surrogacy Journey Consulting offer to their intended parents?

We understand that embarking on a surrogacy journey is emotional and there are many moving parts.  We have various service packages that allow you to customize the services and support you need.  Maybe you just need help screening gestational carrier candidates, we can help with that!  Maybe you already have a gestational carrier candidate, but would like guidance and support to ensure that your surrogacy journey is as smooth as possible, we can help with that too!  The beauty of surrogacy consulting is that it is all about customization- your journey, your needs. 

What if I am looking for surrogacy consulting services that don’t fit into one of your packages?

We’re all about customizing our services to your needs!  Our packages represent common clusters of services on which intended parents seek guidance, but if you don’t see what you are looking for, let’s talk about customizing a package to your needs.

Finding a Gestational Carrier

How long will it take to find a surrogate?

It really depends on your criteria.  If you are managing your own search, how much effort you want to put into your search will also impact the timeline.  6-12 months is a good estimate.  If you are using Surrogacy Journey Consulting’s full-service agency package, 6-9 months is the average time to match.

How long will it be between matching and proceeding with an embryo transfer cycle? 

It will generally take about 3-4 months to complete the final screenings and legal contracts that need to be in place before your doctor will set up a transfer cycle. 

How often can we talk to or see our surrogate during the pregnancy? 

As often as you and your surrogate want!  Surrogacy Journey Consulting will help you to think about your expectations for your journey and encourage you to match with a surrogate who shares your vision, including visits and communication during the pregnancy.  We firmly believe that when you and your surrogate are on the same page, everyone has the best experience possible.

Will we be present during the birth? 

It depends on everyone’s expectations about the birth, however, most intended parents plan to be present in the delivery room for the birth of their baby. **Due to COVID, many hospitals limit the number of people in a delivery room to 1 support person.  While some hospitals have made exceptions for surrogacy deliveries, we cannot guarantee what any hospital policy may be at the time of delivery.

What kind of contact can we expect to have with our surrogate after the birth of the baby?

This is different for every surrogate and intended parents.  We want all parties to have a comfortable and fulfilling experience, so we encourage you to discuss post-birth contact expectations with potential gestational carrier candidates.

Eligibility Review and Matching

How does a consultant help with eligibility review?

 If you are reviewing gestational carrier candidates independently, you risk: 1 – not knowing whether you have collected all relevant medical records, and 2 – bringing a gestational carrier who is not likely to be medically cleared to your clinic for screening.  The result is lost time and money.  Collection of medical records and determining whether you have complete medical records is an arduous task.  When your gestational carrier candidate travels to your clinic for final eligibility screening, you incur travel and medical expenses.  Using Surrogacy Journey Consulting to assist you with initial eligibility screening helps avoid spending time and money on candidates not likely to be approved.

How do we make an intended parent profile?

Surrogacy Journey Consulting will help you get started!  We will provide key questions you should consider and discuss so you know what you are looking for in a gestational carrier.  We will also provide tips on drafting your profile and then comments to help you make your profile as effective as possible.

Where do we start in considering a gestational carrier candidate’s eligibility?

Surrogacy Journey Consultants will help you get started!  Your clinic will ultimately provide medical clearance for your surrogate and we will help you understand what criteria they will use so that you can complete and effective initial screen.

Are there age restrictions for being a surrogate?

Yes, clinics generally require surrogates to be between 21 and 42 years old, with occasional exceptions in special circumstances.

Does a surrogate need to have a prior full-term delivery?  Why?

Yes, your clinic will require your surrogate to have had at least one prior full-term pregnancy and delivery.  A “full term” singleton pregnancy is delivery at 37+ weeks. 

Is there a BMI or weight requirement for a surrogate?

Yes, your clinic will most likely have a BMI requirement between 18 and 30-32.  BMI will be confirmed as part of medical clearance.

What is a “high risk” pregnancy or delivery that would prevent a surrogate from getting medical clearance?

Whether a prior pregnancy or delivery is “high-risk” and whether that might prevent medical clearance really depends on exactly what complications the candidate and/or the baby experienced.  Surrogacy Journey Consulting can help evaluate complications using both the information provided by the gestational carrier candidate and reviewing her medical records.  This will help you avoid wasting time and money pursuing a match with a candidate who is unlikely to receive medical clearance.

What are the surrogate requirements for an independent journey?

They are the same as working with an agency because agencies do not set requirements, clinics do.  Agencies help screen candidates based on clinic requirements.  If you are planning an independent journey, Surrogacy Journey Consulting can help evaluate whether your candidates meet your clinic’s requirements.

Legal Considerations

While we have included some commonly asked questions here, Surrogacy Journey Consulting does not provide legal services or legal advice. Surrogacy relationships are memorialized in a contract. Surrogacy Journey Consultants strongly encourages all intended parents to address any and all legal questions with their lawyer during the process of negotiating their surrogacy contract.

Is the legal process to make us the legal parents of our baby different if we are not married?

Maybe.  Each state has its own policy regarding surrogacy arrangements. 

How does the process of getting a pre-birth order work? 

The exact process depends on the state and your lawyer will manage the process, but here is a general overview.  First, your lawyer will obtain the necessary documentation from your clinic indicating the pregnancy is a surrogate pregnancy and you are the intended parent(s).  Then, your lawyer will file the necessary paperwork with the court to obtain a pre-birth order.  Once the pre-birth order is granted, the lawyer will notify the hospital where your surrogate plans to deliver so they are prepared as well. 

Are there circumstances where it is not possible to get a pre-birth order? 

Yes, there are some states that do not permit pre-birth orders.  There are also some states that may not allow both intended parents to be on the baby’s birth certificate.  We are happy to discuss your individual circumstances and provide guidance so you can target your search in states where you are comfortable with the anticipated legal process.

Can the intended parents’ names be on the baby’s initial birth certificate? 

It depends.  Different states have different policies regarding the baby’s birth certificate.  We will talk about your individual circumstances so we can target candidates in states where you are comfortable with the anticipated legal process.

How long do intended parents need to stay where the surrogate delivers?

It depends on the legal provisions in the state where the baby is born, whether you plan to drive or fly home with the baby and when the baby is medically cleared for travel.  If you are international, you will need to stay until the baby received his or her U.S. passport.  On average, you can expect to stay 1-4 days.  Parents driving home tend to leave sooner than parents flying home.

Do we still need a contract if our surrogate is uncompensated? 

Surrogacy Journey Consultants strongly recommends that all surrogate arrangements be memorialized in a contract, even if they are not compensated, and many states with surrogacy statues require a contract.  The process of preparing the contract encourages all parties to discuss their feeling about various circumstances that you might not initially consider and allows for planning for unanticipated situations.

Surrogacy Contract

Why do we need to set up an escrow account? 

Your surrogate’s compensation and reimbursements are paid as accrued according to your surrogacy contract over the course of the pregnancy.  An escrow account is the best way to ensure that everyone’s interests are protected and a third party oversees disbursements in accordance with the contract.

How long does the escrow account stay open? 

Your escrow account will be held open for a period of approximately 6-12 months after the birth of the baby.  This will allow time for submission of all bills associated with the baby’s birth.  Your escrow account may be held open for a longer or shorter time depending on your individual circumstances and the terms of your contract.

How often do we get escrow account statements? 

Generally, on a monthly basis.  If you prefer something different, we can facilitate a conversation with the escrow agent about your needs.  Our most commonly used escrow company has an online platform so the full account is always visible to all parties.