It’s no secret — surrogacy can be complicated. Whether you are an intended parent hoping to add to your family or a prospective surrogate wanting to make someone else’s parenthood dreams come true, understanding your upcoming journey will always be your first step.
So, how does surrogacy work in Texas?
Fortunately, the surrogacy process in Texas is very similar to the surrogacy process across the United States. While your journey will be regulated by specific state laws and the professionals you choose, gestational surrogacy is much the same for intended parents and surrogates, despite their personal needs and preferences.
To help you decide if this path is right for you, we’ve detailed the steps you can expect in your surrogacy process in Texas. However, because no two journeys are the same, we encourage you to reach out to our specialists for free at 1-800-875-BABY(2229) to learn more about what your individual surrogacy experience may look like.
The 7 Steps of the Surrogacy Process in Texas
While every surrogacy is different, there are a few common steps that must be included in every successful surrogacy. These steps play a key role in ensuring that your process is completed safely, legally and ethically. Only by following these guidelines will you and your surrogacy partner have a successful, positive experience in your journey together.
When you work with our agency, your specialist will guide you through each of the following steps — tailored to meet your expectations and preferences.
Step 1: Decide that surrogacy is right for you.
Before you invest any time and energy into the surrogacy process in Texas, it’s important that you are 100 percent confident that this option is right for you. This family-building process is one that requires a great deal of time, energy and effort, and it may not be the right path for everyone.
The best way to learn more about the surrogacy process in Texas is by contacting our specialists. They can answer any questions you have and help you better understand the path ahead. They will also conduct initial screening to ensure you meet the basic requirements for surrogacy.
If you’re asking, “How does surrogacy work in Texas?” make American Surrogacy your first point of contact. You are never obligated to choose surrogacy when you contact our agency. We are happy to provide the information you need to make the best choice for you, whatever it may end up being.
Step 2: Choose a surrogacy professional and create a surrogacy plan.
Once you have decided that surrogacy is right for you and your family, you will need to decide who you will work with during your surrogacy process in Texas. There are many local professionals you can choose from, or you might work with a national agency such as American Surrogacy, instead. The decision will always be up to you.
When you work with our agency, you are given all the individual counseling and support you can expect from a smaller agency, as well as the extended benefits that only a national professional can provide. Our specialists will walk you through every step of the journey ahead, and you’ll never be alone during your surrogacy process in Texas.
Your surrogacy specialist will help you create a personal surrogacy plan based on your needs, goals and preferences. This plan will detail every upcoming step and ensure that your process meets your expectations. When you choose American Surrogacy, you will always be the one in charge of your own experience.
Step 3: Complete your pre-surrogacy screening.
Before you can start finding a surrogacy partner, you will need to complete some important screening. You will have already met the basic surrogacy requirements before being accepted by our agency, but there are some more extensive tests you must pass. These include medical and psychological screenings, during which medical professionals will confirm that you are 100 percent ready for the emotional, physical and medical demands of the surrogacy process.
Step 4: Find an intended parent or gestational carrier.
Once you have met all of the requirements to start the surrogacy process in Texas, you can begin your search for a surrogacy partner — whether that’s an intended parent to carry for or a gestational surrogate to carry your child.
This matching process is mutual, which means that you will always have a say in what kind of surrogacy partner you will work with. You will get to determine characteristics like:
- Where they live
- Their medical history
- What kind of relationship they are comfortable having with you
- And more
Your surrogacy specialist will take your desires and preferences and determine which eligible gestational carriers or intended parents best match with you. One of the benefits of working with American Surrogacy is our extended network of surrogacy professionals; if we don’t have a client on hand who matches your preferences, we can reach out to our colleagues and find the perfect match for you.
You will be able to share an introductory conference call with your surrogacy partner before deciding they are right for you. Remember, your surrogacy specialist will be there to mediate the conversation and relationship, if necessary.
Keep in mind: If you are a prospective surrogate, you will have to undergo additional medical screening after you meet a potential intended parent and before you finalize your match with them.
Step 5: Create a surrogacy contract.
Your match will not be finalized until a surrogacy contract is created. This is done with the assistance of two local attorneys — one for intended parent(s) and one for a gestational carrier. Our surrogacy specialists are always happy to provide references to local professionals.
Your contract is essentially a roadmap for your entire surrogacy process in Texas. It will address topics such as:
- Responsibilities and expectations
- Risks and liabilities
- Surrogacy laws in Texas
- Sensitive topics (for example, selective reduction and termination)
- Surrogate compensation
- Parental orders
- And more
Once you and your surrogacy partner are both comfortable with the terms of your contract, it will be finalized with your attorneys — and the medical process can begin!
Step 6: Complete the medical process of surrogacy.
So, how does surrogacy work in Texas after you find your surrogacy partner?
There is a lot the goes into the medical surrogacy process in Texas. After a surrogate receives her final eligibility clearance from a fertility clinic, she will prepare for embryo transfer with a medical protocol of fertility drugs. Once a doctor confirms she is ready for transfer, it will be completed at the intended parents’ clinic. (Intended parents will need to cover any travel costs incurred by their gestational carrier.)
Once her pregnancy is confirmed, a gestational carrier will receive prenatal care from her local obstetrician. She will also choose the hospital at which she wishes to deliver, and her hospital plan will be created based on her and her intended parents’ desires. In many cases, intended parents are able to be in the delivery room when their little one enters the world!
Step 7: Finalize your surrogacy process in Texas.
Depending on your individual situation, steps may need to be taken after birth to establish parental rights. This will all be determined by your lawyer during the contract stage; they will handle these legal aspects when the time comes. This will also be the time in which the gestational carrier receives her final compensation.
After that, your surrogacy process in Texas will be finished! Many intended parents and gestational carriers maintain their relationships after the surrogacy journey is complete, and some even stay lifelong friends. When you work with American Surrogacy, you can know that your surrogacy specialist will be there for you long after your surrogacy is complete — to answer any questions you may have and support you through your post-surrogacy experience.
Want to learn more about what your individual surrogacy process in Texas can look like? Contact American Surrogacy today.