Surrogacy101
See my options

From hope to hello. A plain-English guide for first-time readers

See the road to parenthood, one clear step at a time.

Follow the people and practical work from early route questions through clinic care, matching, contracts, pregnancy, birth, and parent documents.

What changes in the U.S. and outside the U.S.?

First choose where treatment and birth may happen. Then separately add the return-home steps if the child will travel to another country after birth.

1Where may treatment and birth happen?
2Will the child return to another country after birth?

United States

Compare using an agency with hiring each clinic, lawyer, insurance reviewer, and fund manager yourself.

United States

Using an agency or hiring each professional yourself in the U.S.

In the U.S., a fertility clinic, agency, separate lawyers, insurance reviewer, fund manager, and birth team often split the work. An agency may organize the schedule, but it does not replace the clinic or either side’s lawyer.

What to prepare first
  • List carrier compensation separately from travel, childcare, lost wages, and other reimbursed costs.
  • In many U.S. clinic-mediated journeys, the intended parents and carrier use different lawyers before signing.
  • Complete preliminary screening, a mutual match, clinic and counseling review, contracts, funding, transfer, pregnancy support, and parent documents in that order.
What changes in this situation
  • An independent journey may begin with a friend, relative, online introduction, or self-match rather than an agency match.
  • A clinic, lawyer, escrow company, insurer, case manager, and birth doula may be hired separately.
  • State law, the carrier’s location, the delivery location, marital status, genetics, and court practice can change the legal sequence.
What to confirm before signing
  • Who is responsible for each task, which party selected that professional, and whether any referral fee or ownership relationship exists.
  • Whether compensation, expenses, insurance, escrow, parentage, and emergency decisions have each been reviewed for the actual states involved.
Check the intended-parent route firstCarrier information coming soon

The whole journey: 7 phases, 14 stages

  • Check expected time by stage
  • See stages that can run together
  • Adjust later dates after delays
Enter my details and explore possible routes
Participants and responsibilities
  • Intended parentsThroughout

    Provide family facts, choose among reviewed options, and give the consents assigned to them.

  • Gestational carrierMatching through postpartum

    The pregnant patient. She gives medical consent and does not surrender medical decision-making to an agency or intended parents.

  • IVF clinicEmbryos through early pregnancy

    Creates or accepts embryos, screens the carrier for treatment, performs transfer, and confirms early pregnancy.

  • Agency or journey coordinatorOnly when used

    Coordinates matching, records, schedules, and communication. This role does not make medical decisions or give independent legal advice.

  • Qualified counselorMatching, screening, and support

    Meets privately and jointly with participants to review expectations, consent, communication, stress, and post-birth adjustment.

  • Separate lawyersRoute, contract, parentage, and return home

    The intended parents and carrier use different lawyers; each lawyer advises only their own client.

  • Insurance reviewerBefore transfer and when coverage changes

    Reviews carrier, complication, and newborn coverage separately and documents exclusions and renewal risks.

  • Escrow or fund administratorFunding through final reconciliation

    Holds and pays funds under written authorization and account rules.

  • Carrier’s obstetric teamPregnancy through postpartum

    Provides pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care to the carrier as the patient.

  • Birth hospitalBirth planning through discharge

    Coordinates admission, privacy, newborn care, records, and discharge under its policies and the legal documents provided.

  • Courts, registries, and consular officesParentage through home registration

    Issue or recognize orders, birth records, citizenship evidence, passports, visas, and registrations.

1

Check the route and choose the exact jurisdiction

Confirm family, clinic, destination, and return-home questions before service commitments.

About 3–6 weeks
1-1Check whether this journey can be reviewed for your familyExpected time: About 1–2 weeks for an initial reviewAfter this stageA written route assessment and a short list of open questionsSeparate lawyers · IVF clinic

What happens

  • Give destination and home-country reviewers the same family, genetic, residence, donor, and embryo facts.
  • Ask the IVF clinic whether it can work with the planned gametes, embryos, records, and destination.
  • Separate an evidence gap from a legal prohibition; uncertainty can coexist with documented successful cases.

Ready for the next stage whenThe destination and home-country questions are written down and the receiving clinic states what it can review.

Questions that can change the result

  • Which facts determine whether this route can be reviewed now?
  • Which answer would require the route to be reviewed again?
1 related case
1-2Choose the exact country, state, clinic, and planned birth locationExpected time: About 1–4 weeks during legal and clinic intakeAfter this stageA named treatment and birth jurisdiction accepted for further workSeparate lawyers · IVF clinic

What happens

  • Name where the carrier lives, treatment will occur, birth is planned, and the child will go after birth.
  • Confirm which clinic, court, registry, hospital, and emergency-delivery rules apply.

Ready for the next stage whenThe receiving clinic accepts the plan and the destination-side reviewer confirms the exact jurisdiction to use.

1 related case
2

Choose the professional team and service scope

Name who handles clinic, matching, legal, insurance, funds, birth, and document work.

About 2–4 weeks
2-1Choose who will manage medical, matching, legal, insurance, funds, and documentsExpected time: About 2–4 weeksAfter this stageA responsibility map and itemized service scopeAgency or journey coordinator · IVF clinic · Separate lawyers · Insurance reviewer · Escrow or fund administrator

What happens

  • Compare agency-assisted coordination with an independent journey, including who performs matching, screening, scheduling, records, and after-hours support.
  • Request written inclusions, exclusions, referral relationships, fees, rematch terms, record and fund access, and a provider-closure plan.
  • Name one owner and one backup contact for every handoff and emergency.

Ready for the next stage whenEvery medical, matching, legal, insurance, fund, birth, and document task has a named independent owner.

If this happens

If a provider closes or stops responding

Use the responsibility map to recover records, confirm control of funds and embryos, and move each open task to an independent professional.

Questions that can change the result

  • Who performs each task and who is independently accountable?
  • Which services continue after a failed match, transfer, loss, or provider closure?
3

Prepare embryos while searching for a carrier

The clinic-led embryo track and pre-screened carrier search may run in parallel.

IVF about 4–8 weeks per cycle; search about 1–6 months or longer

Prepare these in parallel

Both ready for final screening

Stage 4-1Complete clinic medical clearance and separate and joint counselingAbout 2–6 weeks after a provisional match
3-1Create embryos or have stored embryos accepted for transferExpected time: About 4–8 weeks per IVF cycleAfter this stageEmbryos and records accepted by the transfer clinicIVF clinic

What happens

  • Review ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization, embryo culture, testing, storage, and transfer strategy.
  • Complete clinic-required infectious-disease and genetic screening for genetic contributors and collect donor records and consents.
  • Confirm embryo acceptance, storage control, chain of custody, transport or shipping, and receiving-clinic requirements.

Ready for the next stage whenThe transfer clinic confirms in writing that the embryos, donor records, consents, and shipment records are acceptable.

If this happens

If no transferable embryo is available

Return to the clinic plan before committing to transfer dates; another retrieval, donor decision, test review, or shipment may be needed.

Questions that can change the result

  • What must be complete before matching, screening, and transfer?
  • Who controls embryos after separation, death, disagreement, or provider closure?
3-2Find a pre-screened carrier and agree on a provisional matchExpected time: About 1–6 months or longerAfter this stageA no-pressure mutual provisional matchAgency or journey coordinator · Qualified counselor

What happens

  • Compare allowed agency, nonprofit, clinic-referral, known-carrier, and direct-match options.
  • Confirm preliminary records, pregnancy history, identity, background, and counseling checks before introduction.
  • Agree on communication frequency, appointment participation, privacy and social media, post-birth contact, and future disclosure to the child before accepting the match.

Ready for the next stage whenBoth sides choose the match without pressure and write down the subjects that still need clinic, counseling, or legal review.

If this happens

If the provisional match ends

Return to matching, preserve only records that may lawfully be reused, and repeat clinic, counseling, legal, insurance, and funding checks for the new match.

Questions that can change the result

  • What screening is complete and what remains after mutual interest?
  • How are wait time, rematch priority, privacy, and direct contact handled?
4

Confirm the provisional match and finish screening

After mutual interest, complete clinic clearance and separate and joint counseling.

About 2–6 weeks
4-1Complete clinic medical clearance and separate and joint counselingExpected time: About 2–6 weeks after a provisional matchAfter this stageWritten clinic clearance and completed counselingIVF clinic · Qualified counselor

What happens

  • Have the IVF clinic review pregnancy history, records, tests, current health, medications, and treatment criteria.
  • Confirm whether a partner or household member must participate and complete private counseling before the joint counseling session.
  • Record what information may be shared, with whom, and under whose consent.

Ready for the next stage whenThe treating clinic gives written clearance and the separate and joint counseling sessions are complete.

5

Complete contracts, insurance, and funding

Each side receives separate legal advice before medication, transfer, and scheduled payments.

About 1–3 months

Complete these approvals in parallel

All approvals ready for transfer

Stage 6-1Complete medication, monitoring, and embryo transferAbout 4–8 weeks after medical and legal clearance
5-2Confirm insurance, fund the account, and set the payment scheduleExpected time: About 2–6 weeks alongside contract workAfter this stageWritten insurance analysis, funded account, and payment rulesInsurance reviewer · Escrow or fund administrator · Separate lawyers

What happens

  • Review carrier coverage, exclusions, renewal dates, maternity alternatives, life coverage, complications, and claims contacts.
  • Review newborn and NICU coverage separately from carrier insurance.
  • Set payment triggers and rules for rematch, failed transfer, insurance denial, newborn or NICU care, additional funding, reserve replenishment, disputes, and unused funds.

Ready for the next stage whenRequired funds are deposited and clinic, legal, insurance, and funding clearance is documented before treatment begins.

If this happens

If coverage is denied or changes

Pause uncovered commitments, document the exclusion or denial, obtain an independent coverage plan, and update the reserve before treatment continues.

Questions that can change the result

  • Which facts or dates could make the insurance analysis stale?
  • Who authorizes payments and handles denied claims, disputes, and unused funds?
6

Complete transfer, pregnancy care, and birth preparation

After pregnancy is confirmed, prenatal care continues while hospital and parentage work begin.

Transfer about 4–8 weeks; pregnancy about 9 months
Stage 6-1Complete medication, monitoring, and embryo transferAbout 4–8 weeks after medical and legal clearance

Pregnancy confirmed

Birth

6-1Complete medication, monitoring, and embryo transferExpected time: About 4–8 weeks after medical and legal clearanceAfter this stageCompleted transfer with an early-result and next-attempt planIVF clinic

What happens

  • Proceed only after all clinic, legal, insurance, and funding clearances are documented, then follow medication, monitoring, consent, thaw, transfer, and after-hours contact schedules.
  • Use single-embryo transfer as the normal risk-reduction discussion unless the treating clinic and carrier complete a new risk review.
  • Record beta hCG, repeat testing, early ultrasound and heartbeat milestones, and the decision path after cancellation, failed transfer, biochemical pregnancy, or miscarriage.

Ready for the next stage whenThe clinic records the transfer result and confirms the next medical, recovery, support, and funding decision.

If this happens

If a cycle is canceled or transfer fails

Confirm embryo status, medication recovery, remaining attempts, funding, and emotional support before choosing another transfer date.

6-2Continue prenatal care, communication, support, and claimsExpected time: About 9 months after a successful transferAfter this stageStable prenatal, communication, insurance, and emergency workflowsCarrier’s obstetric team · Agency or journey coordinator · Insurance reviewer

What happens

  • Record the IVF-clinic-to-obstetric-team handoff, routine prenatal milestones, anatomy imaging, and any MFM or high-risk escalation.
  • The carrier remains the patient and gives medical consent for her own care; intended parents, coordinators, and agreements do not replace that consent.
  • Maintain the agreed communication rhythm, privacy, urgent contacts, expenses, claims, travel, and counseling access.
  • Keep an emergency communication and insurance-claims workflow for hospitalization, bed rest, fetal diagnosis, preterm labor, or pregnancy loss.

Ready for the next stage whenPrenatal care, support, claims, hospital, parentage, newborn, and travel owners have current contacts and deadlines.

If this happens

If pregnancy loss or a serious complication occurs

The carrier’s medical care comes first. Activate counseling, insurance and contract workflows, then review whether and when any future attempt is appropriate.

6-3Prepare the hospital, newborn care, and discharge planExpected time: Usually from mid-pregnancy through birthAfter this stageA birth, newborn-care, and discharge plan acknowledged by the hospitalBirth hospital · Separate lawyers · Carrier’s obstetric team

What happens

  • Provide required legal documents and contacts to the hospital and confirm admission, privacy, visitors, records, and discharge.
  • Confirm pediatrician, newborn insurance enrollment, feeding or lactation choices, newborn-care consent, NICU access, and discharge responsibility.
  • Create fallback contacts and documents for premature, emergency, or out-of-jurisdiction delivery.

Ready for the next stage whenThe hospital acknowledges the contacts, legal packet, newborn plan, discharge plan, and emergency fallback.

If this happens

If birth is early or NICU care is needed

Use the emergency hospital contacts, newborn coverage plan, interim consent documents, and parentage fallback without waiting for the original birth schedule.

Questions that can change the result

  • Who may consent to newborn care at birth and what documents does the hospital require?
  • What changes if delivery happens early or outside the planned jurisdiction?
1 related case
6-4Complete parentage filings and civil-record instructionsExpected time: Starts during pregnancy and finishes before or after birthAfter this stageApplicable parentage filing or order and correct birth-record instructionsSeparate lawyers · Courts, registries, and consular offices

What happens

  • Prepare court filings, consents, declarations, registrations, and supporting records.
  • Confirm who has legal and newborn-care authority at birth and when that status changes.
  • Coordinate the parentage result with the initial or amended birth record and a fallback for unexpected delivery.

Ready for the next stage whenThe applicable filing or order, birth-record instructions, hospital contacts, and unexpected-delivery fallback are ready.

Questions that can change the result

  • Who is a legal parent at birth and when does that change?
  • Does the home country recognize the destination record directly or require another process?
7

Finish birth, travel, home registration, and follow-up

Complete the child’s documents while postpartum support, claims, and final fund reconciliation continue.

International document work often takes 3–6 weeks or longer; home registration may continue for months
7-1Obtain citizenship evidence, travel documents, and exit clearanceExpected time: International families often plan about 3–6 weeks after birthAfter this stageDocuments that let the child leave the birth country and enter the next countryCourts, registries, and consular offices · Separate lawyers

What happens

  • Apply for available citizenship evidence and travel documents using the birth and parentage records.
  • Sequence DNA testing when required, consular appointments, passport or visa, translation, authentication or apostille, exit, and entry requirements.
  • Keep accommodation, funds, newborn care, and alternative appointments available for document delay.

Ready for the next stage whenThe child has the documents required for both departure from the birth country and entry to the next country.

If this happens

If citizenship or travel documents are delayed

Keep local accommodation, newborn care, legal contacts, funds, and appointment alternatives available until exit and entry documents are issued.

Questions that can change the result

  • Which documents permit departure and which permit entry home?
  • What is the contingency if citizenship, DNA, consent, passport, or a birth record is delayed?
7-2Complete home registration, recognition, and postpartum follow-upExpected time: Usually several weeks to several monthsAfter this stageHome-country recognition, citizenship, and registration started or completedCourts, registries, and consular offices · Separate lawyers · Carrier’s obstetric team · Escrow or fund administrator

What happens

  • Check whether foreign orders and records receive direct recognition or require registration, court work, or adoption.
  • Complete the child’s home-country citizenship and family-registration process that applies.
  • Continue carrier postpartum medical and emotional support, lactation and contact choices, open claims, records transfer, escrow close, and final reconciliation after discharge.

Ready for the next stage whenEvery home-country filing, postpartum support item, open claim, record transfer, and final payment has an owner and completion status.

If this happens

If home-country recognition remains uncertain

Show “uncertain; successful cases exist” when supported, identify the filing or court route, and do not present uncertainty as a prohibition.

Questions that can change the result

  • Which foreign records have legal effect at home?
  • Who remains responsible for support, records, bills, claims, and disputes after discharge?

Where to return when plans change

  • The match ends

    Return to matching and repeat match-specific screening, legal, insurance, and funding work.

  • A cycle is canceled or transfer fails

    Review embryo status, recovery, attempts, funding, and support before another date.

  • Pregnancy loss or a serious complication occurs

    Medical care comes first; counseling, insurance, contract, and future-attempt decisions follow.

  • Birth is early or NICU care is needed

    Use emergency hospital, newborn coverage, consent, and parentage fallbacks immediately.

  • Travel or recognition documents are delayed

    Continue local care and accommodation while legal, consular, exit, entry, and home filings continue.

  • A provider closes or a dispute stops coordination

    Recover records and funds, then assign each open medical, legal, insurance, and coordination task to its independent owner.

Cost and payment flow

See when each cost category usually enters the journey

These categories are not added into one quote. Open your route result for evidence-linked planning ranges that match the selected destination.

  1. Related stage 2-1Service enrollment and matchingBefore service contracts and at matching start
    • Coordination or agency work
    • Matching and preliminary screening
    • Program enrollment
  2. Related stage 3-1IVF and embryosBefore and during IVF or shipment
    • Clinic care and medication
    • Retrieval, fertilization, culture, testing, and storage
    • Donor services or embryo transport
  3. Related stage 4-1Final screening and counselingAfter provisional match and before legal clearance
    • Clinic clearance
    • Psychosocial and joint counseling
    • Travel and records
  4. Related stage 5-1Separate legal workBefore medication or transfer
    • Intended-parent lawyer
    • Carrier lawyer
    • Translation and cross-border coordination
  5. Related stage 5-2Insurance, carrier-related costs, and contingencyFund by contract or clinic deadline
    • Carrier coverage
    • Newborn and NICU coverage
    • Permitted reimbursement, escrow, and reserve
  6. Related stage 6-2Pregnancy supportAs documented costs and milestones occur
    • Reimbursement, travel, lost wages, childcare, and living support
    • Claims and changed care
  7. Related stage 6-3Birth and newborn careDuring pregnancy and around birth
    • Hospital and newborn care
    • Birth support and parentage filing
    • Preterm-birth and NICU reserve
  8. Related stage 7-1Documents, local stay, return home, and registrationAfter birth and potentially after return home
    • Birth records, authentication, translation, passport, and visa
    • Local stay, travel, and home registration
See estimates for my possible route

What actually happened in related cases

Read the result first, then use the note and source to understand where that result stops.

South Korea · 2025

Korea's Supreme Court held that the woman who gave birth was the legal mother in this case.

Read the case note and source

The 2025 judgment treated the surrogacy agreement, including the promise to surrender parental rights, as invalid and considered the child's welfare in a biological-parentage claim.

United States · 1993

California's Supreme Court recognized the intended mother as the child's legal mother in this case.

Read the case note and source

In Johnson v. Calvert, an embryo created with the intended parents' egg and sperm was carried by a gestational carrier. The court resolved the maternity dispute in favor of the intended mother.

Provider-published full-journey estimates

These are separately attributed provider examples, not Surrogacy101 promises or an industry average.

Circle Surrogacy

Its public process covers consultation, embryos, matching, medical and legal work, transfer, pregnancy, birth planning, parentage, and travel home. It publishes 1–3 months for consultation and sign-on, 3–4 months after matching for medical and legal work, about 6 weeks for an IVF cycle, and about 25–30 months overall; these are attributed provider examples, not an industry average.

Checked 2026-08-11Open provider process

Growing Generations

Its public process publishes 1–2 weeks for consultation, 2–4 weeks for onboarding, 1–6 months for matching, 2–4 months for pre-pregnancy work, and about 3–6 weeks after birth for many international families; these are not route estimates.

Checked 2026-08-11Open provider process

ConceiveAbilities

Its public process describes matching, funding, clinic clearance, contracts, transfer, pregnancy, birth, parentage, passport work, and reconciliation. It publishes examples of 1–3 months for matching, 4–6 weeks for contracts, 1–2 months for IVF preparation and transfer, and 9 months for pregnancy.

Checked 2026-08-11Open provider process
Enter my details and explore possible routesBack to the seven-part journey

Continue from here

Keep the whole journey in view, then explore your situation

Enter a few facts you already know to mark the stages that may change for you. Each stage keeps its questions, conditions, related cases, and sources together. Confirm final medical, contract, and legal decisions with your clinic and separate lawyers.

Explore my possible pathsSearch common questions
An adult and child sitting together at sunset

Intended parents · Surrogacy101 International

Continue with people asking similar route questions

Use the Surrogacy101 International community to compare practical questions about route selection, costs, timing, matching, legal steps, and returning home with intended parents and experienced participants.

This opens an external Facebook group. Check its visibility and rules before joining, and do not post IDs, medical records, or contact details.
Join Surrogacy101 International