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Once you have selected a potential Surrogate from the profiles we present to you, she will have the opportunity to view your profile. All prospective Surrogates have been carefully pre-screened. This includes an application and thorough questionnaire, an interview with Family Source, a letter of consent from her OB, and clear background check results. If, based on your profile information, she agrees she wants to meet you, we will coordinate and schedule a conference call between yourself and the potential Gestational Surrogate. We will then organize an in-person meeting between all parties. After the meeting, if everyone agrees they want to work together, you are officially matched! 

Family Source arranges gestational surrogacy arrangements. If the Intended Mother is not able to use her own eggs, this option is still possible with the help of an Egg Donor. 

Your Journey is in Full Swing

Your Gestational Surrogate will have the required medical screening done to ensure she is in healthy physical condition and to confirm that she is a good candidate for pregnancy.  She will take required blood tests - including but not limited to HIV and other sexually transmitted disease (STD) tests - as will her spouse/partner when applicable.  We will arrange for psychological counseling for all parties: your Gestational Surrogate will meet with a clinical psychologist who specializes in third party reproduction and she will be administered the MMPI, which is a psychological assessment test. When applicable, your Surrogate’s spouse/partner will be required to meet with the psychologist as well. Additionally, you, the Intended Parents, will go through psychological screening. Family Source will locate life insurance for your Surrogate, which is mandatory per Intended Parent/Gestational Surrogate contract.  If needed, we will help to locate appropriate medical insurance for her, although in the majority of cases she will have medical coverage and this will not be necessary. 

On Your Way to Baby

When the screening process is complete, you will work with one of our agency recommended collaborative reproduction attorneys to put together your contracts.  Family Source will help negotiate all fees on the contract and we will establish and manage your escrow account at no additional charge.  Once everything is agreed upon and the contracts are signed, your reproductive endocrinologist will work with you to determine your cycle plan, whether or not your Surrogate will be required to do a mock cycle, and the medication protocol for everyone involved.  There are many variations in protocols depending on your reproductive endocrinologist’s recommendations; however, to give you a general idea of what will occur: The Surrogate’s cycle will be synchronized with the Intended Mother’s (or Egg Donor’s) cycle so that her body is being prepared for pregnancy (and her uterine lining is thickening) as the Intended Mother (or Egg Donor) is being prepared for her egg retrieval. Typically, your Surrogate will take birth control pills, Lupron, estrogen and progesterone in either oral, patch, injection or a combination of two or more forms. There may be other medications that your reproductive endocrinologist prescribes depending on each individual situation. We at Family Source will absolutely go over all of the information with you and your Surrogate to make sure everyone understands the cycle and medication instructions, as it is crucial that all directions are followed precisely. We will happily attend the transfer if possible.  In addition, if there are doctor appointments that you are unable to attend throughout the pregnancy, we will accompany your Gestational Surrogate in your place when we can.  And of course we would be thrilled to attend the birth of your baby/ies when at all feasible!

Surrogacy LAWS in the United States and around the world:

There currently is no nationwide law regarding surrogacy in the United States; rather, each state has its’ own surrogacy laws. Certain states in the United States are considered more “surrogacy-friendly” than others. A state is referred to as surrogacy-friendly when there are no residency requirements for the Intended Parents and a birth certificate (pre-birth order) can be issued without court proceedings.

Fortunately, our agency is located in Illinois - which has some of the most surrogacy-friendly laws in the United States!