1.
Consultation and Sign On
1-3 Months
top of page
Surrogacy Process
Step-By-Step Surrogacy Process for Intended Parents
A surrogacy journey consists of many milestones that lead to the biggest event of all: bringing home your baby. Every journey is different and on its own timeline, and our experienced team will be by your side for the duration of your surrogacy. The length of the process depends on your personal preferences and situation, but an average journey can last 25-30 months.
2.
Matching With Your Surrogate
Time Varies
3.
Medical and Legal
3-4 Months
4.
Surrogate Pregnancy
9 Months
5.
Parenthood
Birth & Beyond
5 Steps in the Surrogacy Process
While the surrogacy process may seem complicated as you begin, we advise you to look at the full journey in five steps. Our goal is to ensure you understand what the process entails, and what you can expect during each milestone, as well as approximate timing. Remember, the surrogacy process is unique for everyone, so timing may not be exact for your journey.
- 1. Consultation and Sign on
- 2. Matching With Your Surrogate
- 3. Medical and Legal
- 4. Pregnancy
- 5. Parenthood
Consultation and Sign On
1-3 Months
- Consult with agency
- Sign agreement for services
- Intro video call with team
- Match with egg donor (if needed)
- Create embryos
Once you've signed on with Promise as your surrogacy agency, we will introduce you to your Matching Specialist, who will work closely with you to find the right surrogate match. If you already have an IVF clinic selected, we will connect with your clinic; if you haven’t yet selected a clinic, Promise will assist you in choosing an IVF Clinic, as we have long-standing relationships with many well-known clinics around the country.
If you already have embryos created, you are all set until your surrogate match. If you need to create embryos, you will do so at this point in time.
Should you need an egg donor to grow your family, our team is ready to provide guidance and support. Promise offers an in-house egg donor database of thoroughly screened fresh donors and maintains trusted partnerships with third-party agencies and clinics if you prefer a frozen donor or are seeking options beyond our donor pool.
Matching With Your Surrogate
Time Varies
- Matching process & approval
- Intro video call with surrogate
- Start journey to pregnancy
The matching stage is one of the most exciting – you will be finding the amazing woman who will help you grow your family! All of our surrogates represent the top 4% of applicants and are fully vetted in our 3-step screening process. Our Matching Specialists carefully pair intended parents and surrogates for a journey based on our MatchMade™ matching process. We’ve successfully matched thousands of parents and surrogates with our understanding of what goes into a positive relationship for a surrogacy journey. Learn more about our matching process and our criteria for matching.
Once intended parents are matched with a surrogate, Promise will introduce them to their Journey Coordination team who will take the time to explain the upcoming surrogacy steps and process in detail so you fully understand what to expect at each milestone. This will also be the team who manages your journey and supports you every step of the way. Your team consists of Program Coordinators/Managers, a lawyer, an accountant and medical billing specialist.
Medical and Legal
3-4 Months
- Surrogate medical screening
- Embryo transfer
- Beta tests
During the medical & legal phase of the surrogacy process, there are many mini milestones of your journey.
First, your gestational surrogate will go to your IVF clinic for her medical screening. This is a day of testing and examinations with your IVF doctor, which can consist of blood tests, sonograms and ultrasounds. Sometimes, intended parents will go to the clinic as well and meet their surrogate in person for the first time.
After the medical screening – and once your surrogate has been cleared by your IVF doctor – your gestational surrogate will receive her protocol and begin her medications and monitoring at her local clinic. Because your surrogate will be required to check in with the clinic often to ensure her body is responding to the medications, she will do this at a clinic that is close to where she lives (this is also called "local monitoring"). Promise and your IVF clinic will work together to find the best clinic and make these arrangements for you.
During this time, you will also be working with your lawyer to draft the Carrier Agreement (surrogacy contract), while your surrogate works with her own lawyer. Intended parents and surrogates each have their own legal counsel to work through the Carrier Agreement. This step could take a few weeks as both parties negotiate the terms of the contract.
When the clinic determines that your surrogate is ready for her embryo transfer, she will travel to your IVF clinic. This is usually a 4-7 day trip. Intended parents can attend this milestone in person and spend time with their surrogate and her support person. After the transfer, your surrogate will return home and once again have regular appointments at her local clinic for her beta tests until there is hopefully a confirmed pregnancy (approximately 10-14 days after embryo transfer). At 6 weeks, she will visit her clinic for an ultrasound and confirmation of heartbeat.
Surrogate Pregnancy
9 Months
- Ultrasound check-ins
- Create birth plan
- Establish parental rights
- Hospital and delivery prep
- Your baby's birth!
Regular Ultrasounds
Your surrogate will transition from her local clinic to her chosen OBGYN who will perform ultrasounds during the pregnancy. Many intended parents try to attend such appointments if they are able.
Birth Plan and Parental Rights
Towards the second half of the pregnancy, intended parents will also begin working on two important documents: their birth plan and their parental rights. The birth plan is outlined with their surrogate to outline what delivery day will look like, and include all parties’ preferences for the day. Your Promise support team can help you put this document together to ensure everyone’s hopes for delivery day are captured. Intended parents will begin to establish their parental rights with their lawyer and local counsel (in the state where your surrogate is delivering).
And don’t forget about the fun stuff as you prepare to bring home your baby: decorating the nursery, booking travel for delivery and packing baby’s first outfits for travel home.
Parenthood
Birth & Beyond
- Soak up the "new parent" wonderfulness
- Obtain baby's passport (if needed)
- Say goodbye to your surrogate & her family
- Travel home
It has been an emotional journey, and you're finally holding your baby in your arms, and inhaling that amazing new baby smell!
When the doctor releases your baby from the hospital, you are free to take your baby home. It can be hard to believe – the hospital is entrusting you with this very small baby! Your Promise support team will be there to guide you through these early days, remind you of any tasks to be completed (such as adding your baby to your health insurance), and to answer any and all questions.
U.S. parents usually travel home shortly after they are released – usually a few days – either by car or plane. International parents may stay in the U.S. for up to 4 weeks (or longer) after the baby's birth to finalize travel and obtain the baby's passport if needed. How long you stay in your baby’s birth city is up to you; some parents stay longer to spend time with their surrogate and her family, while others return home to start their “baby routine”. Learn more about traveling with a newborn in our blog post.
An Emotional Journey Home
Going home may trigger many different emotions: excitement, happiness, anxiety, sadness. Saying goodbye to your surrogate can be hard - but it doesn't have to be 'goodbye' it can be 'see you soon'! The bond you've built with your surrogate will be like no other, and you'll find the right way to say goodbye that's personal to you and your journey. It's important to ensure your surrogate is able to have a moment to say goodbye to the baby, too. She has cared for this little one for you and has been waiting for this day to give your baby back to you.
We understand that this process – while exciting – can feel a bit overwhelming. There's so much to coordinate and think about. For this very reason, intended parents choose to work with Promise and our experienced and passionate team to help manage every step of the journey.
Surrogacy Process FAQs
Below are some common questions about the surrogacy process. You can read our full list of FAQs about the general surrogacy process from intended parents here.
The timeline for surrogacy varies, depending primarily on how long it takes to match with a surrogate. After being matched, the medical and legal steps take 3 to 4 months. The IVF cycle itself typically lasts about 6 weeks. Following a successful embryo transfer, the pregnancy and delivery will take approximately 40 weeks. It's important to note that individual circumstances can affect this timeline.
Our agency conducts thorough screening processes for all potential surrogates to ensure they are physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared for the journey. This screening includes comprehensive medical evaluations, psychological assessments, and background checks. These screenings are designed to protect the health and well-being of both the surrogate and the future child and ensure a successful surrogacy journey for all parties involved.
Our agency offers comprehensive legal support throughout the entire surrogacy process. We work with experienced attorneys specializing in reproductive law who draft and review surrogacy agreements, secure parental rights, and navigate any potential legal issues that may arise.