At Alcove Fertility Center, we understand that surrogacy can be a complex and emotional process for intended parents and surrogates alike. That’s why we offer comprehensive surrogacy services to help individuals and couples build their families.
Our team of fertility specialists will work with you to understand your surrogacy goals and guide you through the process. We will also provide support and resources to help you navigate the legal and emotional aspects of surrogacy.
There are a number of individuals who should be considered throughout the process.
The surrogate is the person who agrees to carry and give birth to a baby, with the intention of giving the baby to another person.
The intending parents, or commissioning parents, are the parents of a baby born through surrogacy.
Other people considered throughout the process include the partner (if any) of the surrogate and her family, the intending parents’ other children (if any), and of course, the child who will be born via surrogacy.
A person is eligible to commission a surrogate if:
- as a woman she is unlikely to become pregnant, be able to carry a pregnancy or give birth due to a medical condition; or
- as a couple, multiple transfers of a genetically normal embryo have been unsuccessful; or
- the intending parent is a single male or in a same sex male relationship
To reduce the risks of surrogacy to both the intending parents and the proposed surrogate, we have a number of conditions that have to be fulfilled before we offer this treatment. The surrogate must satisfy all of the following requirements:
- She must be older than 25, and younger than the age of natural menopause (52 years of age). This may be increased slightly to 55 in the unique situation of a gestational surrogate who is the mother or mother-in-law of the intended parent
- Must have already given birth to a child of her own
- Have no history of pregnancy-related illnesses or complications
- Have an established relationship with the intending parents for a period of no less than 6 months by the time of embryo transfer
- Neither the surrogate nor intending parents suffer from any significant psychiatric disorder that would impair decision-making or the care of the child
- The surrogate must not use her own eggs although a third party donor is permissible
A woman must decide to become a surrogate for altruistic reasons. Altruistic surrogacy is when the birth mother does not receive any payment other than reasonable reimbursement of medical expenses associated with the pregnancy and birth.
As an intending parent, you have to find your own surrogate.
- Medical review – the intending couple (or individual) and surrogate attend a consultation with a fertility specialist.
- Independent assessment – the surrogate and the intending couple may need to have an independent obstetric and psychiatric assessment.
- Counselling – for the intending couple, the surrogate and her partner (if any).
- Independent legal advice – we need to see a written certificate confirming both parties have been advised on their rights and obligations.
- Assisted reproduction – if the intending parent is using her own eggs, they will be collected after an IVF treatment cycle and fertilized with her partner’s sperm. The embryo will then be inseminated into the surrogate.
- Ongoing pregnancy care – Once pregnancy is confirmed, the clinic counsellor will continue to discuss and confirm plans for delivery.
- Birth – the baby is deemed to be the child of the birth mother until the intending parents’ parentage order legally takes effect.
Gestational surrogacy is when a fertilized embryo is transferred into the surrogate. The embryo in this case is a result of in vitro fertilization (IVF), using the egg and sperm of the intending parents or a third-party donor. There is no genetic contribution from the surrogate in this instance.
Treatment costs associated with surrogacy will vary, depending on the individual arrangement. We will discuss these with you during your first medical consultation.