Despite its physiological, legal, and ethical complexities, surrogacy is on the rise across the United States, with new ways of conceiving babies becoming more popular than ever. And while more regulations are needed across some states in the country, the state of California’s existing legal and ethical frameworks make it the ideal place to be for trying out surrogacy.
However, this bustling industry isn’t free of its problems, given the lack of awareness and education on surrogacy. Risks to the health of the surrogate as well as to the child have been noted by several studies, all of which highlight that with the right care, almost all of these risks can be mitigated.
This article will answer twenty surrogacy FAQs across 4 categories; general questions about surrogacy, questions from potential surrogates and intended parents, and finally, questions regarding our surrogacy firm OC Women’s Surrogacy.
About Surrogacy
Surrogacy is the result of an agreement to conceive and carry a child between a woman (surrogate) and a pair of intended parents. Because it’s becoming increasingly popular, you need to have all the information to get started. Here are some common surrogacy FAQs regarding the phenomenon.
1.What Is The Difference Between Traditional And Gestational Surrogacy?
Traditional surrogacy involves taking the egg from the surrogate themselves, making them a biological relation to the child they are to conceive. Gestational surrogacy refers to the process where the egg either comes from an intended parent or from a donor, which means that the surrogate isn’t biologically related to the child.
2.Why Do Couples Choose Surrogacy?
Most couples looking to become parents via surrogacy arrive at this option to start a family, typically after trying other methods without success. Possible issues that lead them to consider surrogacy include infertility, medical complications, or being a single parent or same-sex couple.
3.What Is Artificial Insemination?
This is the process by which an intended mother receives a sperm deposit directly into her uterus to increase the chances of impregnation. As most sperm die before they reach the uterus during copulation, artificial insemination is thus considered more effective.
4.What Is IVF?
In Vitro Fertilization, otherwise known as IVF, is a procedure that takes a healthy egg and fertilizes it with sperm outside the female body. Once that egg has been conceived, it will be transferred to either the intended mother or the surrogate to be carried until full term.
5.How Is Sperm Donated?
Sperm samples are typically collected at clinics, and other medical facilities and are then matched with an egg for fertilization. For more surrogacy FAQs, keep reading.
Potential Surrogate Candidates
If you’re interested in becoming a surrogate to help a happy couple start a family, these are the questions you might be interested in out of all the surrogacy FAQs. Without further ado, here are some important areas for potential surrogates to consider:
1. How Much Time Does A Normal Surrogacy Take?
This is a challenging question to ask because the time it takes depends on how soon you’re able to find a surrogate. Once you’ve found a qualified surrogate who successfully conceived after the embryo transfer, it’ll take you another year and a half for everything to be done.
2. Whose Names Will Be Listed On The Birth Certificate?
The intended parents’ name goes on the birth certificate legally across California. This is just one example of why the state attracts as many surrogates, intended parents, and donors across the entire year.
3. Where Can I Find A Couple Who Wants A Gestational Surrogate?
The best way to do this is by contacting an agency that can connect you with the intended parents hoping for a gestational surrogate. And who better to connect with and find the right match for you than OC Women’s Surrogacy?
4.Can I Earn Money Through Surrogacy?
You absolutely can! Many surrogacy agreements include coverage for your time away from work and any postpartum care that you may need. And you can always speak with our experts in your area for more information on this topic.
5. How Can I Begin My Surrogacy Journey?
First things first, you’ll need to undergo a complete health check and observation by healthcare professionals, who’ll clear you for potential conditions and diseases, should there be none. Book an appointment with the nearest surrogacy clinic for your consultation.
Intended Parents
To become a surrogate, your doctor needs to give you a clean bill of health, among other things. But if you’re looking to start a family through surrogacy, you’ll need to agree with your surrogate before anything else. Here are some surrogacy FAQs asked frequently by intended parents.
1. Does The Surrogate Have Any Claim To The Baby After Birth?
After the legal parenthood of intended parents is established, a surrogate can make no claims about the child they helped bring into this world. However, it isn’t uncommon for the intended parents and the surrogate to keep in touch after their baby is born, so it all depends on your agreement with your surrogate.
2. What Requirements Do Intended Parents Have To Meet?
Like surrogates who must go through doctors’ consultations and whatnot, intended parents will also have to meet some requirements. For example, any agency that you’re working with will screen you for your understanding of the surrogacy process as well as for your emotional readiness, among various other factors.
3. Do I Need To Pay My Surrogate?
In most cases, financial compensation is given to a surrogate to cover her medical expenses, her time off from being employed, and several other reasons. For more surrogacy FAQs, call our offices in Fountain Valley, California.
4. How Long Until The Baby Can Ride An Airplane?
Should your baby have no health concerns at the time, you shouldn’t have much trouble flying out once they are 3 to 5 days old. However, some airlines do not allow infants, so do your research and book your flights accordingly.
5. Will My Child Receive Breast Milk?
You can draw up an agreement with your surrogate to get breast milk for your child, for which you’ll have to compensate your surrogate accordingly. Expenses include pumps, bags, bottles, and other supplies, as well as the payment to the surrogate for pumping breast milk.
OC Women’s Surrogacy
At OC Women’s Surrogacy, we connect surrogates and donors with intended parents and also offer a surrogate referral program. Our commitment to finding the perfect matches for each of our clients has garnered us a well-respected surrogacy service, which includes three options, one for intended parents, surrogates, and donors. Here are some surrogacy FAQs to help you navigate our procedures.
1. How Does The Egg Donation Process Work?
To begin with, there are certain requirements you need to fulfil to become an egg donor. Some of these include a BMI below 26, being a non-smoker, having no history of drug or alcohol abuse, and being between the ages of 21 and 29, among other criteria.
Once you are cleared for donation, you’ll need to fill in an egg donor application on our website which will not take longer than 10 minutes. Next, you’ll be called for a medical screening, during which your mental health and medical and fertility screenings confirm your eligibility for surrogacy.
You’ll then be asked to sign a legal agreement which you’ll have the time to review. Once you’ve signed and submitted this agreement, the egg retrieval process can begin. During this retrieval, your vitals are continuously monitored, and your follicle growth is assessed to see if you may require medicines to stimulate their growth.
The retrieval process will take about 30 minutes with our medical experts. Once the egg has been retrieved, you’ll be asked to rest for some time before leaving.
2. Are There Benefits To Becoming A Surrogate Through OC Women’s Surrogacy?
Our firm offers several financial benefits to the surrogates that work with us because it’s one of our top priorities to keep you healthy and thriving. On average, a surrogate can earn up to USD 50,000 from one pregnancy with our services. But that’s not all.
Because we have the advantage of being based in California, our state laws make surrogacy a lot more flexible than it is in other surrogacy-friendly states. A good example is that an experienced surrogate with OC Women’s Surrogacy can earn anywhere between USD 55,000 to USD 85,000. And you will also have the support to get extra compensation for embryo transfer, maternity clothing allowance, postpartum care, and several others.
3. Can I Refer A Surrogate To Your Surrogacy Program?
You certainly can! Our surrogate referral program is a simple, three-step process that can help you earn up to $1,000 as a referral bonus. Begin by filling in our surrogate referral application or have surrogates you know to sign up on our website while ticking the ‘referred by friend’ option and providing your details.
After either form is reviewed and accepted, our team will share the acceptance with you via a confirmation email. To get your referral bonus, your surrogate friend will need to successfully undergo the embryo transfer process.
4. What Areas Does Your Medical Screening Assess For Surrogates?
A typical medical screening for surrogacy involves various tests that include but aren’t limited to uterine checks, drug screenings, STD testing, and pap smears.
Medical conditions that could disqualify you from becoming a gestational surrogate with us include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), unhealthy BMI, endometriosis, several C-sections, and multiple other underlying health conditions, all of which you’ll be tested for.
5. How Can I Get Started As A Gestational Surrogate?
To begin your process, you’ll need to fill in our application, after which our team will call you for an interview where your preferences for intended parents will be noted, among other factors. The next step involves looking for intended parents whose requirements match yours and vice versa.
Once your match has been found, our experts will begin the screenings needed to make the pregnancy a success. These screenings will include medical testing and a comprehensive psychological evaluation to ensure you’re ready for what’s to come.
After signing the legal agreement between yourself and the intended parents, the embryo transfer is initiated. As a surrogate, you’ll be given specific instructions of care to adhere to during the initial phases, and once a viable pregnancy is detected, you’ll be asked to visit the OB-GYN every 10 to 12 weeks to make sure everything is as it should be. Finally, once the infant has been brought into this world, you’ll receive postpartum care until you’ve recovered.
Signing up to become a surrogate is no easy job and can take a lot out of a person both mentally and physically. But it can also be incredibly rewarding to help a couple complete their family.
So, if you think you’d want to help people who wish to have a child, then you should fill in the application to become a surrogate with our firm. To find out more about our processes, call our office at 714-966-2112 or send us an email with your questions at info@ocwomenssurrogacy.com.
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