The Surrogacy Process in Los Angeles
The surrogacy process in San Diego typically involves several key steps:
Step 1. Matching
Our team will speak with intended parents about their unique preferences and values to better understand exactly what they’re looking for in a surrogate. These considerations may include medical history, prior surrogacy and pregnancy experience, lifestyle, values, and overall personality traits, among others.
Step 2. Legal and Medical Procedures
After surrogates and intended parents have been matched, the legal and medical processes can begin. Medical processes will include all necessary screenings and evaluations to check for communicable diseases, hormone levels, and more. Once surrogates are paired up with intended parents, the surrogate begins a series of medical screenings, including blood tests to monitor hormone levels and rule out any communicable diseases.
Meanwhile, the attorney for the intended parents will draw up a legal contract outlining rights and responsibilities for both parties, helping to set expectations from the beginning. The surrogate will review this with her own attorney and have the chance to suggest changes or get further clarification as needed. Once these contracts are signed, the surrogate begins taking specialized medications to prepare her body for embryo transfer — a quick, painless procedure performed by a fertility doctor.
Step 3. Pregnancy and Birth
The surrogate takes a blood test to confirm pregnancy about two weeks after the embryo is transferred to her uterus. About two months after that, the surrogate can begin to taper off of the fertility medications she’s been taking, and after about 10 weeks, the surrogate stops seeing the fertility doctor and begins to see the OB/GYN of her choosing.
The surrogate also chooses the hospital she’d like for childbirth, and the intended parents will typically be present during delivery. The surrogate usually has some time to hold the baby before the intended parents eventually take their new child home with them.