Application, Agency Screening & Matching Process

Our application, screening and matching process is designed to make the surrogacy process go as smoothly as possible. Before Intended Parents are presented with profiles of any potential surrogates, the surrogates thoroughly screened through their initial application and verification of information. Intended parents and surrogates are given extensive information on how surrogacy works so that the process will go as smoothly as possible.

• Listening to You - The most important thing that a surrogacy agency can do is to first listen to you. At CSED, we begin with an initial consult where we will walk you through the entire surrogacy process. We will ask you about your hopes and desires for your surrogacy journey. We strive to do the Right Match from the beginning. To do so, we need to hear from you about the Right Match for you.
• Qualified Applicants - Women interested in surrogacy must first meet all of the CSED surrogacy requirements (see Who Qualifies to be a surrogate)
• Verification - If a potential surrogate's application is accepted, we will confirm that the information provided is accurate by gathering copies of her pregnancy-related medical records, a recent physical and pap smear. We will also perform a criminal and credit check. The potential surrogate will be interviewed by a team member who will discuss the surrogacy process with her and determine that she understands and is committed to the process
• Listening to your Surrogate - One of the members of the surrogacy team will consult with the surrogate on her hopes and desires for her surrogacy journey. The Right Match of course must be the Right Match for both the Intended Parents and the surrogate.

Clinic Screening

After you have matched with your surrogate, we will coordinate the screening process with your IVF Clinic. Although the screening process can vary slightly from clinic to clinic, the typical IVF Clinic screening process will consist of:

• Consultation with the IVF physician and nurses
• Discussion of the IVF process with you and your surrogate, including the medications that will be prescribed
• Surrogate Uterine evaluation
• Bloodwork and urinalysis for sexually transmitted diseases and drug use for carrier and her partner
• Mental health evaluation and consultation with mental health professional
• Should your clinic require any additional information or assistance, CSED will provide the clinic with any coordination they need to ensure that your carrier is fully and successfully screened by your IVF clinic.

Legal

The legal aspects of surrogacy can be complicated. For this reason, we have partnered with Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder, P.C., a leading reproductive law firm. Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder, P.C. will review the legal issues that may be presented by any surrogate you are considering. CSED believes that careful consideration of all of the legal issues is essential prior to any surrogacy match being made. It also critical that your surrogate be represented by her own attorney with experience in reproductive law who can provide her with independent legal advice regarding the surrogacy process.

Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder, P.C. will also:

• Represent you in the Gestational Carrier Agreement with your surrogate
• Provide legal clearance to your IVF clinic
• Review your surrogate’s health insurance policy and provide a written legal opinion on coverage
• Manage the trust account from which your surrogate’s fee and expenses will be paid and provide you with a detailed accounting
• Prepare and file the necessary paperwork to obtain a pre-birth order (a court order that will declare you to be the legal parent(s) of your child) or coordinate with counsel in the state where the birth will occur

The IVF Cycle

Your IVF Clinic will oversee the actual IVF Cycle and provide you and your surrogate with detailed instructions on what you and your surrogate will need to do to prepare for the embryo transfer. The IVF process will generally consist of:

• Outline of the IVF Cycle calendar - A nurse will provide you with a calendar of when to start and stop taking medications.
• Monitoring - Your surrogate will have several blood draws and ultrasounds prior to the embryo transfer. These are done to ensure that her endometrial lining is thickening properly. If your surrogate needs to monitor at a clinic close to her, CSED will coordinate the motoring to ensure your doctor gets results in a timely manner.
• Embryo Transfer - Your surrogate will look forward to you being at the embryo transfer appointment. It is a wonderful milestone in your surrogacy journey shared between parents and their surrogate.

Pregnancy and Birth

Once a pregnancy is confirmed and your surrogate is released to her obstetrician, we strongly encourage Intended Parents to participate in the pregnancy as much as possible. Just like any other expecting parents, you should attend the obstetrician appointments to learn more about your child’s development and witness the major milestones of the pregnancy. However, we understand that not all Intended Parents will be able to attend every appointment. Establishing a rapport with your surrogate’s obstetrician is extremely important. Accordingly, meeting the obstetrician as early in the pregnancy is strongly encouraged.

• Confirmation of pregnancy - The initial blood tests and ultrasound to confirm pregnancy are ordered and reviewed by the IVF physician.
• Release to Obstetrician - Once you have been cleared by the IVF clinic, your surrogate will be released to her obstetrician who will oversee the pregnancy. Surrogates sign medical releases authorizing her obstetrician to discuss the pregnancy with you.
• Intended Parents Participation - We want you to participate in the pregnancy as much as possible. You should attend as many appointments throughout the pregnancy as possible. If you are not able to attend an appointment, it is important that you and your surrogate communicate regularly. We will be there to support you and your surrogate throughout the pregnancy.
• Delivery - In preparation for the delivery, our staff, in conjunction with the attorneys performing the pre-birth order legal work, will work with you and your surrogate. Once the big day arrives, you will be there to experience the joy of the birth of your child.