The Surrogacy Process for Intended & Future Parents

Step 1: Deciding If Surrogacy Is Right Path to Parenthood for You

Estimated Timeline: Varies With Personal Decision Process

Deciding to grow your family through surrogacy is one of the most deeply personal choices you will ever make as intended parents. It is a path that requires careful thought, emotional readiness, and a willingness to place your trust in another person to carry your child.

As you consider whether surrogacy is the right family-building option for you, it is natural to have questions about the journey ahead. Many intended parents wonder about the costs, the overall timeline and what the experience will feel like from start to finish.

To help you navigate this decision, we have gathered resources we hope will bring clarity and comfort.

• Read Real Stories from Intended Parents. Read heartfelt stories from parents who were once where you are now. Their honest accounts offer a glimpse into the surrogacy process for intended parents.
• Explore Our Frequently Asked Questions. Dive into the most common questions our real intended parents have asked, plus how we’ve answered them.

Step 2: Your Personal Intended Parent Consultation with Pathways

Estimated Timeline: Varies With Personal Decision Process

Once you’ve made the decision to pursue surrogacy to grow your family, the next step is to talk to us. At Pathways To Parenthood, we offer a free, private consultation tailored to your needs. We use this time to understand you, your situation, and answer all of your questions directly.

We will also discuss your preferences for the relationship with your surrogate and your priorities for the match. Once you submit the form to speak with us, we can meet with you in as little as 1 business day.

Step 3: Signing On and Building Your Intended Parent Profile

Estimated Timeline: Varies With Personal Decision Process

After your Intended Parent Consultation with Pathways to Parenthood, you’ll have the opportunity to sign on with us! Once this agency agreement is in place, we will move on to the first of three agency fee payments. While exact surrogacy costs for intended parents can vary, most families budget between $120,000 and $160,000 for the full indented parent journey costs.

From there, you’ll complete an information form and write a profile letter to prospective surrogates. This letter is one of the most personal parts of the process. It’s what your potential surrogate reads when she’s deciding whether your family feels like the right match, and we’ll help you get it right.

Step 4: Surrogate Prescreening and Matching With Intended Parents

Estimated Timeline: 2-3 Months

This is where the magic begins. Finding your “best surrogate match” involves more than just a checklist; it is about finding a connection that feels right for you and your surrogate.

Our stringent screening process ensures that every surrogate candidate we present to you is medically and psychologically vetted. While the timeline of the matching stage can vary, we prioritize finding a match that brings joy to everyone involved. Pathways To Parenthood Gestational Surrogate Candidates are pre-screened and prepared to be a Gestational Surrogate in the following ways:

• Review of Pregnancy History/Reproductive History
• Criminal Background Check
• Obtainment of Medical Records/Medical Records Review
• Medical Clearance from Obstetrician/Gynecologist
• Insurance Policy Review for Coverage/Exclusions
• Psychological Testing
• Psychological Evaluation for Surrogate and Husband/Partner

Matching is typically the longest and most variable step in the process, generally running 2 to 3 months depending on your preferences and surrogate availability.

Step 5: Surrogate Medical Clearance and the Legal Agreement

Estimated Timeline: 1-2 Months

Once a match is confirmed, your surrogate begins medical clearance with your fertility clinic, which Pathways coordinates. After medical clearance of your chosen surrogate match, the legal agreement is drafted by your attorney and reviewed by your surrogate’s independent attorney, who is retained and paid by you as the intended parent, as is standard in gestational surrogacy.

The legal agreement protects surrogates and parents and also ensures the intended parents are the legal parents of the child. The agreement may also cover other important elements such as surrogate compensation and personal wishes between surrogate and intended parents. Once the legal agreement is completed, a Letter of Legal Clearance will be sent to your fertility clinic by the attorneys and funds for surrogate compensation are placed in escrow.
Medical clearance and signed legal agreement generally takes 4 to 8 weeks once a match is confirmed.

Step 6: Embryo Transfer and Pregnancy Confirmation

Estimated Timeline: 1-2 Months

With the legal agreement signed and escrow funded, your surrogate begins her medication protocol to prepare for the embryo transfer. The embryo transfer day is planned in advance of the cycle start so parents can arrange their schedules to be present for this very exciting day!

A pregnancy test follows within 2 weeks, confirmed by blood draw, with repeat blood draws and heartbeat ultrasounds at approximately 6 and 8 weeks if the test is positive. After the heartbeat ultrasounds, surrogate and baby will “graduate” from the fertility clinic and will begin care with an obstetrician. This step typically takes 3 to 4 weeks from transfer to confirmed pregnancy.

Step 7: Pregnancy and Preparing for Baby’s Arrival

Estimated Timeline: 9 Months

This is the time to exhale a bit and celebrate the milestones of pregnancy as you get ready for baby to arrive.
Pathways To Parenthood Surrogacy Agency in Kansas City, KS will support parents and surrogate throughout the pregnancy as needed. We also assist with a birth plan process for parents and surrogates ensuring everybody is on the same page about the important details of labor and delivery. This process includes communicating with hospital staff so they are prepared and understand the arrangement between surrogate and parents.

Your legal team will take care of the legal processes with the courts to establish your parental rights. They will also communicate with hospital staff, so they are prepared to implement the parentage process after the baby is born.

This step runs the length of a full pregnancy, about 9 months from confirmed transfer.

Step 8: The Birth And Intended Parent Takes Baby Home

Estimated Timeline: Day Of Delivery (in most cases)

The birth of your baby is the completion of a process that took real courage to start. After delivery, once your surrogate and baby are medically cleared, you get to take your new baby home. Your family and your surrogate will forever be connected. Most parents and surrogates continue their relationship after leaving the hospital but there is not a template for that! It is a personal and special relationship to be determined by parents and surrogates as they wish.