Surrogacy is a long and emotionally diverse journey. If you are planning to be an intended parent, it may already be clear to you that a lot depends on the person who will be your surrogate and carry your child.
A surrogate mother is a woman who agrees to bear a child for another woman incapable of carry a child due to several medical conditions. Instead, she gets pregnant with your (or a donor’s) embryo. She takes good care of herself and your little one lovingly while with him or her on the way, and delivers it to you and your partner.
Therefore, we fully understand that surrogate matching is a careful process and needs close attention and supervision of the medical team. Today we will try to walk you through the selection process of surrogate mothers to make you well prepared for this fantastic journey.
WHAT TYPE OF SURROGACY IS LEGALIZED IN THE COUNTRY I CHOSE?
We believe that everyone deserves to be a parent and have a family if they really want to. However, unfortunately, some countries have various restrictions regarding third-party reproduction. First things first – you need to know what type of surrogacy is legal in your destination country.
There are two surrogacy types: traditional and gestational. During gestational surrogacy, the surrogate does not have any biological connection to the child. In that case, both the sperm and egg are provided by the intended parents (or donors). In contrary traditional surrogacy, the surrogate doubles as the egg donor and is the biological mother of the baby she is carrying.
Gestational surrogacy is legal in Georgia, Israel, Argentine, and the USA, and there we have well-established regulations. Therefore, it makes countries attractive to intended parents and agencies. See the legal information about each country below:
GEORGIA
is one of the more common option. This advanced eastern European country offers a quality professional platform for couples entering the surrogacy process. Some 60% of the surrogacy processes carried out in Georgia are conducted for foreign couples, with a consistent uptrend. Georgia has the process set up in a well-organized manner, with primary legislative provisions in place from as early as 1997. Georgian law does not permit a surrogate to register the newborn on her name: only the intended parents can be registered on the birth certificate.
ARGENTINA
This country is one of the few ones offering surrogacy solutions to single parents or same-sex couples. This openness towards gender is anchored in law. Also, it accords with the liberal nature of the country and its people. Argentina’s liberal legal system is excellent for surrogacy processes. Babies born there, including through surrogacy, are entitled to an Argentinian passport and citizenship. In addition, Argentina’s National Law on Assisted Fertility was passed by the senate in 2017.
THE USA
The U.S. has a two-tier legal system, which includes federal law and state law. Surrogacy falls under family law, which is at the state level. As a result, the rules are different from state to state.
We, at Royal Surrogacy offer surrogacy programs in Georgia, Israel, Argentine, and the USA. Here gestational surrogacy is legally permitted. If you want to know more about international surrogacy, have a look at your blog 5 Steps to Plan Your Surrogacy Internationally.
WHAT ARE THE SELECTION CRITERIA OF SURROGATES?
The choice of a surrogate is, naturally, of crucial importance for the success of the surrogacy procedure, as she will carry your children in her womb for the full term of pregnancy. It is vital to only use surrogates whose medical and psychological data have been thoroughly pre-screened.
At Royal Surrogacy, we are intimately familiar with the challenges of finding the ideal surrogate for you from a pool of healthy and charming potential candidates. Our surrogates, aged 19-35, should have at least one child (indicating her healthy reproductive history); however, being in a marriage is not obligatory. Surrogate candidates undergo a series of preliminary medical and psychological tests to verify their suitability for the procedure. We ensure their optimal health by providing them with medically supervised care from Royal Surrogacy professional team.
A potential surrogate is evaluated by our coordinators. It gives us a better understanding of her psychological condition and how emotionally mature she is to be fully aware of the significance and importance of surrogacy. She is interviewed thoroughly. The expertise of our coordinators lets us select the surrogates who have relevant qualities for this role. For instance, caring, understanding the intended parents’ feelings, and supporting them make the whole process easier for everyone.
SURROGACY LAB TESTS
The surrogate mother is screened and tested thoroughly – based on the USA medical protocols to check for conditions that might unpleasantly influence pregnancy. A blood sample is taken and the surrogate undergoes complete blood count, hormonal and infectious disease screening (syphilis, hepatitis B, C, and HIV).
Due to the current pandemic situation at Royal Surrogacy, additional PCR tests are also requested for COVID-19 during preparation and before embryo transfer. At the same time, we are working closely with surrogates to get COVID-19 vaccination to avoid the following complications. Of course, we also respect parents’ wishes if they want unvaccinated surrogates. Although we highly recommend taking all precautionary measures in advance. We are ready to explain vaccination pros and cons separately to parents and surrogates.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE BEFORE EMBRYO TRANSFER?
As commercial surrogacy is illegal in many countries, couples who plan to take a path of international surrogacy might wonder if it’s possible first to ship their embryos, and second, how long it takes from shipping to the embryo transfer procedure itself.
In case interned parents prefer to ship frozen embryos, it is definitely possible to arrange it. Please keep in mind that regulations may vary per country of destination and we strongly recommend to check it before stating shipping. In some counties for example in Georgia, you cannot transfer embryo created with anonymous egg donor to the surrogate (power of attorney from egg donor is needed), although you can freely do it in Argentina. As for regulations of the U.S., you must use a special FDA KIT and have all the necessary documents if you want the government to approve an embryo created in another country.
Embryo transfer is a critical process, and intended parents always want it to be done as fast as possible, but it is crucial to prepare a surrogate step-by-step. The essential steps include a selection and screening of the surrogate, arranging all needed paperwork and preparing the embryos for transfer. This process takes a while but no longer than 2 to 3 months after confirmation surrogate candidate from intended parents.
COMMUNICATION WITH THE SURROGATE
Most of the intended parents want to meet their surrogate and communicate with her during the pregnancy period. We at Royal Surrogacy support them in this. Couples can do interviews with a surrogate online and ask them questions about almost anything to get to know them well. The surrogate will carry their baby for 9 months, and it is crucial for parents to feel comfortable with this person. The key to having a quality relationship with your surrogate mother is trust and honesty, being consistent in this communication, and respecting each other’s’ boundaries. Some intended parents continue bonding with their surrogate even after the birth of their child, which is also great, and we encourage it as well.
Choosing the desired way and a means of communication happens before starting it. Intended parents and the surrogate can define which communication channel they prefer, like WhatsApp, Viber, Zoom, Skype. At Royal Surrogacy, we make sure that the communication of intended parents with a surrogate happens under the surveillance of our coordinator as surrogates often speak only their mother language. We highly recommend not using Google Translate to avoid miscommunication.
To sum up, the surrogacy journey is quite complex and involves many aspects you should consider before deciding to follow it. First, it is crucial to choose a surrogate who is the right fit for your needs and a decent candidate. However, once you find a team of professionals willing to help you through this process, you can stay calm.
At Royal Surrogacy, you are in the right hands. We ensure that our surrogates are experienced and healthy, which is one of the most important values. To us, each and every story of you is special, and our programs are tailored precisely to your needs. In addition, a whole team of coordinators is involved in the surrogacy process to make this journey more comfortable and more accessible for intended parents and surrogates.