In addition to a surrogacy agency and a surrogacy attorney, you will need to work closely with another professional to complete your surrogacy process — a fertility or surrogacy clinic. This is the professional that makes the surrogacy process happen by ensuring intended parents and a prospective surrogate are ready to embark on the medical process of surrogacy together.
The first step to finding the perfect surrogacy clinic is understanding exactly what the surrogacy medical process entails. Fortunately, when you choose to work with an agency like American Surrogacy, your surrogacy specialist will explain the process in detail and even help you choose the surrogacy clinic that is right for you and the other party to your surrogacy, whether you’re an intended parent or a prospective surrogate.
To learn more about surrogacy clinics, you can always talk to a surrogacy specialist at American Surrogacy by calling 1-800-875-2229 and discussing your individual situation with them. In the meantime, we’ve answered some of the questions you may have about surrogacy clinics and what to expect from these professionals.
1. What do surrogacy clinics do?
Surrogacy clinics and fertility specialists handle all of the medical steps of the surrogacy process. Because this process requires experienced medical professionals to do it right, surrogacy agencies and surrogacy attorneys outsource these services to assisted reproductive technology experts for the smoothest process with the best chance of success.
Depending on the surrogacy agency you work with, you may start working with a surrogacy clinic before you even find an intended parent or prospective surrogate to work with. That’s because fertility clinics will evaluate whether or not surrogacy is even an option for you before you put in the time and effort toward your surrogacy journey.
Here are the services that medical professionals usually provide during the surrogacy process:
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Medical screening: This process makes sure that you are physically ready for the process of IVF and surrogacy, whether it’s by testing your ability to carry a pregnancy as a surrogate or your ability to create an embryo with your sperm or eggs as intended parents.
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Egg and sperm harvesting and the in-vitro fertilization process: Because most surrogacies today are gestational, this means that IVF must be involved. The surrogacy clinic will help sync up the cycles of a surrogate and an intended mother (or egg donor) and then harvest the sperm and eggs necessary to create an embryo. Once embryos are successfully created, they will be implanted into the surrogate’s uterus.
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Pregnancy testing: After the embryo transfer process is completed, the surrogacy clinic will usually test and monitor the surrogate for a period of time to ensure the embryo has implanted successfully.
After working with a surrogacy clinic to complete the embryo transfer process and confirm a healthy, stable pregnancy, the surrogate will usually start working with her own, local OB-GYN for the rest of her pregnancy.
2. How do I find a surrogacy clinic to work with?
If you’re working with an agency to complete your surrogacy, your surrogacy specialist will usually provide you referrals for clinics that they commonly work with. Not only will this make your surrogacy process run smoother, it will also help your agency coordinate with the medical professionals as your surrogacy moves forward — and it may even provide intended parents a discount on the medical services due to the existing relationship.
The professionals at American Surrogacy recommend that those who are interested in surrogacy visit the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology to view statistics and success rates for different surrogacy clinics. Not all surrogacy clinics are created equal, so make sure you do your research before approaching a professional and have questions ready for them. As mentioned, American Surrogacy can provide referrals and advice if you need help deciding. Many times, the surrogacy clinic that our clients end up using depends on the location of the intended parents.
You will always have the final say when it comes to deciding which surrogacy clinic is right for you. However, some of the surrogacy clinics that American Surrogacy recommends to its clients include:
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The Blue Sky Fertility Clinic (Kansas City)
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The Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine (Kansas City)
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Shady Grove Fertility (East Coast)
3. Can I use my own fertility clinic to start the surrogacy process?
It’s not uncommon for intended parents to have created a relationship with a specific fertility doctor or specialist before deciding on surrogacy, especially if they’ve gone through the IVF process before. When they prepare to start the surrogacy process, they may wonder if they can work with that fertility doctor for their medical screenings and IVF process.
Their ability to do so will vary based on their individual circumstances, including where their surrogate is located, their fertility doctor’s experience with surrogacy, the possibility of coordinating services between professionals and more. The best way to determine whether you can use your own fertility or surrogacy clinic as intended parents is by speaking to a surrogacy professional about your situation today.
Finding a surrogacy clinic can be an exciting but stressful part of your surrogacy journey, especially because so much weighs on finding the right medical professional for you. Fortunately, American Surrogacy is here to help. With our assistance, you’ll be able to find a surrogacy clinic that can efficiently and safely walk you through the medical process of surrogacy, bringing you one step closer to your end surrogacy goal. To start finding a surrogacy clinic, please contact our surrogacy specialists today.