OVERVIEW

Use of Gestational Carriers or Surrogates is growing more common either because of health or fertility concerns in women or by virtue of same sex male couples that need an egg source and a uterus within which to transplant the embryos.

Surrogates are generally taking on an enormous responsibility for your family, literally carrying your child for 9 months and then handing over a beautiful, healthy baby to you for your ongoing care.

We work closely with a variety of agencies to offer you an exceptional array of services, accommodating your specific needs.

WHY IS IT DONE

Patients may opt to use a surrogate or gestational carrier for a variety of reasons. For women, this may occur as a result of uterine damage or absence, a history of health conditions that are either dangerous or preclude pregnancy, or because they have psychological concerns that preclude becoming pregnant. Some women will choose to use a surrogate because of previous IVF failure(s) or a history of recurrent pregnancy losses.

For men, if they are single or in a same sex relationship, a woman is needed to carry the pregnancy for them, in addition to an egg donor to provide an egg source from which to create the embryos.

VRC Preferred Agencies

Canadian Surrogacy Agencies

American Surrogacy Agencies

Mexican Surrogacy Agencies

The Basics

STEP 1

You must first decide if you are using a known surrogate (ie. Friend or relative) or you are using an agency to procure surrogate. If using a known surrogate, we will need to conduct extensive testing on the donor before they can proceed.

When using an agency for a surrogate, typically we refer you to one of our preferred partners for selection of an appropriate gestational carrier. This process involves a significant amount of time. Finding appropriate surrogates and/or gestational carriers can take time and always involves making sure that you are selecting a healthy individual with a high chance of success for becoming, and safely staying, pregnant throughout the journey.

The costs associated with selection and acquisition of a surrogate are strictly between you and whatever agency you choose.

STEP 2

Your selected surrogate needs to be screened by Dr. Victory himself during a thorough interview where he ascertains all the relevant and important aspects of their health including personal health history, past obstetrical history and history of any obstetrical complications, extensive medical, psychological and psychiatric histories and any past history of previous donations, pregnancies, and outcomes.

STEP 3

Your gestational carrier requires extensive testing. These tests at a minimum include:

  • Thyroid function tests
  • Vitamin D level
  • Prolactin level
  • Saline infusion sonohysterogram to make sure there are no uterine abnormalities
  • Sexually transmitted disease screening

Here are some of the characterstics we recommend when selecting a surrogate after screening:

  • Be free of smoking, excessive alcohol, and any marijuana and/or illicit drug use
  • Have no uterine pathology as determined by saline infusion sonohysterogram, including:
  • Intrauterine fibroids
  • Intrauterine polyps
  • Intrauterine adhesions
  • Significant adenomyosis
  • Previous invasive placenta or placenta previa
  • Isthmocele or significant cesarean scar defect
  • The endometrial lining must achieve a minimum 8mm triple layer pattern by transvaginal ultrasound
  • Have no hydrosalpinx
  • Have no more than two previous failed embryo transfers using Donor Eggs
  • Have a BMI < 35 kg/m2 (to calculate www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi).

STEP 4

We ensure that you, your partner (if any) and your surrogate are a compatible match and that there are no sexually transmitted diseases that could cause any concern for transmission from one individual to another.

STEP 5

Your surrogate will undergo endometrial preparation with estrogen and progesterone to get ready for an embryo transfer. This can be done with fresh embryos from a recent IVF cycle or with frozen embryos whether they’re from you or from a donation.

The total time for this process is a minimum of 2 -3 months, though it entirely depends on how long it takes to secure your gestational carrier. It’s important to be patient to get optimal success.

Risks

There are no risks for the intended parents. Risks for the surrogate are generally minimal and isolated to normal pregnancy issues including miscarriage, bleeding, need for bedrest and/or time off of work, preterm labour, high blood pressure or gestational diabetes. All of these are common with all pregnant women and surrogates are no higher risk than anyone else. We take every precaution to avoid, minimize or mitigate these risks.

Outcomes

Outcomes are generally exceptional! Our success rates have always been extremely high with our surrogate program as we take great care to ensure that you are selecting an extraorindary surrogate with a very high likelihood of success. Typically, we can succeed on first try, though in rare instances more than one attempt may be necessary.

Our success rates are high enough, that we offer live-baby money back guarantees. If you’d like to learn more, don’t hesitate to contact us for a detailed discussion of your options.

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