What Is Independent Surrogacy?

Independent surrogacy is a surrogacy arrangement that does not involve a surrogacy agency. Independent surrogacy is also known as private surrogacy. If you are an intended parent looking to build your family through surrogacy, independent surrogacy may be an option you are considering.  Below are a few important points to consider as you explore your options.

  1.  What is involved in an independent surrogacy?

There are multiple steps in the surrogacy process whether you are working independently, or working with a surrogacy agency. When working with a surrogacy agency, many of the steps are handled “behind the scenes” and so it may not be possible to estimate accurately what an independent surrogacy process will fully involve. Here are the usual steps involved in an independent surrogacy journey.  It is important to note that each step listed below involves multiple steps.  These are the “behind the scenes” steps a surrogacy agency does for their clients/intended parents.

  • Search for, evaluate, and choose an acceptable surrogate
  • Receive medical clearance
  • Negotiate terms/work through legal process
  • Go through medical treatments (sometimes multiple times)
  • Manage the pregnancy
  • Prepare for delivery/birth
  • Prepare for time at the hospital and after the birth for you and your surrogate
  • Follow up post birth for well-being and legal status
  1. How long will the surrogacy process take?

The time frame from the beginning stages of the surrogacy process to baby can vary quite a bit.  With an independent surrogacy, 18-24 months is not out of the ordinary.  When working with a surrogacy agency, the surrogacy process will be quicker, averaging 12-18 months, with rare exception.

  1. What are the financial costs?

There is a misconception out there that an independent surrogacy is less expensive than working with a surrogacy agency.  It is certainly possible that will be the case, but very likely it will not be less expensive, and it could be more expensive.  This depends greatly on many factors, one of which is the service fees of the surrogacy agency, and the average compensation of their surrogates.  With an independent surrogacy, when intended parents are going it alone without the protection and expertise of a surrogacy agency, you don’t know what you don’t know. Therefore you may overlook something that can cost you later, either financially, medically, legally, or some combination thereof.

There are certainly more factors to consider, but these 3 are the primary factors to consider when deciding whether to work with a surrogacy agency, or attempt an independent surrogacy.  For more information about building your family

through surrogacy, contact Pathways To Parenthood and schedule your free consultation today!  You can reach us at 913-469-5500 or kerry@pathwaystoparenthood.com.

Pathways To Parenthood: An Egg Donor & Surrogacy Agency Celebrates LGBTQ Pride Month

“At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include than be included for who I exclude.”

Eston Williams, Reverend

 

June is LGBTQ Pride Month and Pathways To Parenthood is proud to support and celebrate the LGBTQ community during the month of June. Although we support the LGBTQ community every month, June is a great time to highlight our support.

At Pathways To Parenthood, we believe everyone has the right to be a parent. We strive to offer the best surrogacy experience and egg donor IVF experience for all couples and individuals that wish to become parents.  We respect and appreciate the LGBTQ community trusting us to help them in their journey to parenthood through egg donation and surrogacy. There are many steps in the egg donor process, and/or the surrogacy process and our goal is to help intended parents understand the process well. Also, our hope is to make the egg donor process and surrogacy process as easy and stress free as possible for all parties.

Ultimately, our hope is that the LGBTQ community is supported every day in their homes, communities, and countries.  We understand that it is up to each of us as individuals, and businesses too, to communicate our support not only during LGBTQ Pride month but always.  One small token of our support is our donation to The Trevor Project.  The Trevor Project, founded in 1998, is a leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people under 25.

Contact Pathways To Parenthood today for information about using an egg donor and/or surrogate to build your family. Call us at 913-469-5500 or email us at info@pathwaystoparenthood.com.

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