Surrogacy Timeline- How long does surrogacy take?

Surrogacy is an amazing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) where another woman medically becomes capable of carrying the pregnancy for another parent (intended couple) such is the technology now. On average, this surrogacy timeline is estimated between 15 to 18 months.

The Fertility Cure is a renowned fertility centre across the world. The performance of surrogacy by its professionals is very clear and completed within its estimated timeline. Surrogacy timeline estimation is done because the procedure involves different steps with each timeline. However, our professionals’ long years of experience enable comprehensive inputs with compassionate care that ensure it falls within its estimated duration.

Surrogacy Timeline From Start To Finish

Time taken in the surrogacy journey is directly dependent upon the processes and procedures. On average, the surrogacy timeline is 15 to 18 months. Surrogacy involves certain steps including consultation and application, Matching of the surrogate and parents, Medical Screening and Contracts, Ovarian stimulation, Egg retrieving, Fertilization, Embryo Transfer, Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum, and Establishing Parental Rights. Let’s Discuss each step and their time-bound during the surrogacy:

1. Consultation and registration: 1-2 Months

If you choose to pursue surrogacy, the first step is choosing the right centre/clinic, considering the Fertility Cure is the right choice which is a renowned centre worldwide. Patients have to register and book a slot for free consultation. The fertility cure coordinator will schedule your consultation with the available best Doctor. You can have a consultation either online/offline best on your convenience. During this time, doctors will evaluate your fertility background, and medical records, and answer any of your related queries.

Our Doctor can suggest the nearest fertility centre to you for some basic fertility testing. Depending upon the medical reports or background history, they will analyze and recommend suitable surrogacy programs whether self-cycle or donor-cycle is best for you. You can openly ask about the possibility, the success rate, the cost involved, and the time taken or share your wishes in more detail, get to know the staff, and start building a relationship with them.

2. Signing of surrogacy contract: 1 month minimum

Once the patient agrees or is satisfied with the doctor’s recommendations, the representing legal surrogacy lawyer of the centre will initiate the documentation for a surrogacy contract. The contract will mention all the dos and don’ts concerning the surrogate, intending parents, working professionals, and the rights. The contract also mentions surrogacy laws of the state, eligibility, and bondage. All parties will sign the contract under the representation of the legal lawyers.

3. Medical screening and formalities involved: 1 month

The gestational carrier undergoes medical and psychological screening to ensure that all is well for her to carry a child and in general to complete the surrogacy process.

During this time, you will also work with your surrogacy attorney to draw up the surrogacy contract – while the gestational carrier simultaneously works with her lawyer. Once all points are made clear and agreed upon, both parties sign the contract – another milestone successfully reached.

4. Preliminary fertility assessments: 1 month

A preliminary fertility assessment of the intended parents is conducted by the Doctors. During this time, a potential surrogate meets with a psychologist, who evaluates to ensure she’s able to handle the duties associated with surrogacy.

5. Matching: 3-4 Months

Matching means comparison between the parents and the surrogate mother reproductively. The fertilityworld accepts surrogate mothers arranged by the parents, if not, the team will arrange a surrogate for the parents. The matching process usually takes 3 to 4 months because this step must ensure the surrogacy potential. The following parameters are considered during the matching procedure:

• Analyzes which surrogates and intended parents might make a good team.
• The intended parent profile is presented to a potential gestational carrier.
• Narrates parent’s choice to surrogate like specific age, origin,
• The most ideal carrier will meet the intended parent’s requirements.
• Facilitates a meeting either online/offline based on the locations between parents and surrogates.
• At the meeting, everyone has the chance to get to know one another.

These processes lengthen the timeline. Some intended parents reach an agreement at the very first video call – others meet with more than one gestational carrier before finding a match. Sometimes, matching can occur almost instantly, though other times it can take a few months before the right people have the opportunity to meet.

6. IVF procedures: 3 to 4 weeks

IVF is the root of the surrogacy and this procedure usually takes up to 3 to 4 weeks. Let’s see the IVF process below:

• Ovarian stimulation: To accomplish ART it requires multiple eggs rather than producing one egg normally in a month. To do so, the intended mother or donor (if applied) is medicated with hormonal drugs like FSH or GnRH. This stimulates the ovarian follicles to manufacture multiple eggs.
• Egg retrieval: Developed multiple eggs are retrieved by the embryologist using specialized equipment. At this time, a male partner is asked to give his semen sample.
• Fertilization: The retrieved eggs and the collected sperm are mixed and inoculated in the culture medium and incubated overnight that achieve fertilization. During this time a surrogate is also prepared.

7. Embryo Transfer: 20 minutes

The fertility cure team chooses a day 3 or day 5 embryo to be transferred as this stage secures the best potentiality to get conceived.

The number of embryos to be transferred is decided and then transferred into the surrogate uterus.

8. Pregnancy: 9 Months

If embryo transfer is successful and gets implanted into the endometrial lining. Then pregnancy is confirmed. But to ensure, more pregnancy is conducted and confirmed.

As most people know, a normal pregnancy lasts 40 weeks from the start of the cycle. However, a healthy baby may arrive anywhere from seven to eight months after finding out that IVF was successful.

As the pregnancy progresses, it’s time to create a birth plan, book any travel as required, and prepare the hospital bag including everything you need (car seat, etc) to take the baby home. For international parents, the surrogacy agency can help you source a car seat and any other baby gear you may need before you travel back to your home country.

9. Birth and the Postpartum

The surrogate will give birth under the guidance of the working doctors at the Fertility Cure clinic and handed over to intending parents as signed in the contract. International parents, however, will have to stay in the state the baby was born in for a few more weeks until all paperwork is complete and the baby has a passport.

10. Establish Parental Rights

There is a legal framework for establishing parent-child relationships.

Once your baby is born the carrier and her partner sign and relinquish any rights they may have. The attorney submits this documentation to the court, together with other paperwork to prove the baby’s parentage.

However, every state has its laws and regulations regarding parentage orders, child rights, citizenships, and passport eligibility. Every intending parent has to formalize these laws.

Surrogacy Medication timeline

Typically a surrogate begins medications about 3 to 4 weeks before a scheduled embryo transfer. The exact medications and your schedule are determined by the reproductive endocrinologist (RE, or fertility doctor). Let’s see the surrogacy medication timeline stepwise:

• Birth Control Pills: This medication may seem not to be taken but very helpful in the surrogacy process for the surrogate. The doctors must know your cycles before procedures. These birth control pills help regulate this. They will tell you when to start the medication and when to stop it to be fully effective.

• Lupron: This medication goes along with birth control pills. It helps regulate the menstruation cycle and inhibit premature ovulation. Administration: injection self-administered shot with ½ inch needle.

• Estrogen: It is added after the above medications have progressed. Estrogen can be taken as a pill, patch, or given via injections. The timing and dose are determined by the fertility clinic. A transvaginal ultrasound is done on the 22-day mark to determine its responses.

• Progestogen: It is administered five days before the embryo transfer. These medications help prepare the uterine lining for implantation and increase the chances of a successful embryo transfer. Progestogen is given as an injection involving a larger needle and delivered intramuscularly.

Conclusion

If you’re intending parents and wish to try surrogacy but are not sure about the procedure and success rate. Surrogacy is a journey that truly fulfills parenthood dreams to thousands and counting. Medical factors or lifestyle factors, environmental factors, and chemical exposures in today’s modernization are causing 1 in every 4 couples to suffer from infertility and surrogacy has been rescuing such parents from experiencing parenthood. Don’t worry, surrogacy takes 15 to 18 months only just to fulfill your parenthood dreams. This time will get shortened from your excitement to receive a child.

Always connect with the best fertility centre, do thorough research, avail of free consultation, and understand its success rate and the cost involved. You can consider the Fertility Cure to fulfill your parenthood dreams.

FAQs

1. How long does it take for a surrogate to get pregnant?

It usually takes 6 to 7 months starting from consultation to the IVF procedure, and after that, a surrogate will have confirmation whether she is pregnant through certain pregnancy tests.

2. How long does surrogacy take from start to finish?

Surrogacy usually takes 15 to 18 months starting from registration to clinic, consultation, fertility screenings, signing contract agreement, matching of the surrogate mother, arrangement of the donor (if needed), completing IVF procedures, embryo transfer to surrogate uterus, pregnancy tests, and 9 months pregnancy.