Surrogacy agencies and fertility clinics both play valuable roles in the surrogacy process. As fertility clinics start to provide more services for surrogacy, some intended parents and surrogates may wonder if they still need to work with a surrogacy agency.
This is a valid question, and a choice that will always be yours to make. But, it should be noted that while fertility clinics play a very important role in the surrogacy process, they may not be able to provide all of the services a surrogacy agency can. The services a surrogacy agency can provide go above beyond the medical parts of the process that clinics specialize in.
You don’t have to choose one or the other. In fact, it’s recommended that you work with both so that you’re getting everything you need. Listed below are three key areas where surrogacy agencies and fertility clinics differ.
You can also reach out to a professional at American Surrogacy to get the guidance you need.
1. Expertise
Surrogacy agencies and fertility clinics may have overlapping areas of expertise, but overall, you can rely on surrogacy agencies to have a broader range. Fertility clinics specialize in all things related to fertility testing, egg and sperm donation and the IVF process.
American Surrogacy, on the other hand, is made up of professionals that specialize in all aspects of the surrogacy process.
Most importantly, we understand the dynamic between the surrogates and intended parents. This is a delicate relationship, and it’s the job of the surrogacy professional to help each side navigate the surrogacy process as a team.
As your surrogacy professional, we know what it takes to have a successful surrogacy match, and will be able to work with you to help you find a surrogate that feels like the perfect match to carry your baby. And we’ll be able to help surrogates determine if the intended parents who choose them are the family they want to carry for.
American Surrogacy will also be able to help you navigate this relationship once the baby has been born. Many surrogates remain a part of the intended parents’ lives, and may even become part of the family. This is a beautiful bond, but with every bond comes boundaries. When you choose us as your surrogacy professional, we can lend guidance on how to communicate and adhere to these boundaries post-surrogacy.
In addition to being experts in the dynamics of surrogacy, many surrogacy agencies are knowledgeable in state surrogacy laws, and can connect you with a surrogacy attorney who specializes in these laws.
The American Surrogacy team will be well-versed in your state's surrogacy laws, and/or will be able to connect you with a surrogacy attorney who specializes in surrogacy law.
2. Services
One of the biggest aspects that sets surrogacy agencies a part from fertility clinics is wide variety of services we provide such as:
- Matching services: Surrogacy agencies provide matching services. This isn’t something you’ll typically find with a fertility clinic. For example, American Surrogacy has surrogate profiles available for intended parents to browse until they find a surrogate mother who they want to carry their child.
- Legal partners: Surrogacy agencies have access to a wide network of legal professionals from all over the country that specialize in assisted reproductive technology. The surrogate and intended parents will each have their own attorney to ensure that their rights are protected throughout the process.
- Thorough screening: Fertility clinics do screen their egg and sperm donors, but a surrogacy agency will be able to screen the gestational carrier. This screening process is to ensure that they are mentally, emotionally and physical prepared to carry someone else’s child.
- Setting up egg, sperm and embryo donations: Your surrogacy specialist will be able to set up appointments with your fertility clinic so that you can move forward with the medical portion of the surrogacy process.
- Counseling: Even though the surrogacy process is an exciting one, it can be physically, emotionally and mentally draining. You now have to balance your everyday responsibilities with your surrogacy responsibilities. American Surrogacy has counselors on hand to be an outlet for surrogates and intended parents. Some even offer infertility counseling for intended parents who are working on coming to terms with their circumstances.
While the services fertility clinics offer may be limited, they are still incredibly important. These services consist of:
- Fertility testing
- Testing and screening for egg and sperm donors
- Egg retrieval
- Embryo transfer
3. Consistency
When it comes to surrogacy, consistency is key.
This journey has a lot of twists and turns, so consistency can help instill a sense of stability during a time where you may feel overwhelmed. When you work with a surrogacy agency like American Surrogacy, we’ll be with you through the entire process.
No matter where you’re at in your surrogacy journey, we will be there for you. You’ll also be able to create a surrogacy plan which will serve as a blueprint for your surrogacy process. This ensures that you’ll be less likely to experience unwanted surprises.
Fertility clinics will be an important point of contact throughout the IVF process, but once the surrogate is pregnant, there may not be much else they can do.
While fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies are valuable to the surrogacy process, agencies can offer a wider range of services. To get more information about both t types of professional or begin your surrogacy journey today, reach out to us today.