Most Surrogacy Agencies hire a company to run background checks on their clients (IPs) and surrogate candidates, including husbands/partners. This is not because everyone is under suspicion. It just makes all parties more comfortable. You want to believe that people would be honest upfront but what is important for you to know may not be what they want to share. Now if you are working with someone that you know well; a family member or a close friend, you really don’t need to have a background check. But if you are working with someone you hardly know, maybe you met on the internet or by classified ad or it’s a friend of a friend of a friend, a background check is a good idea, for all parties. What are you looking for? DUI’s, drug conviction, child abuse, criminal charges and so forth. Anything that will give you pause about working together. It’s better to find things out before the contracts are signed then after. **NOTE Background checks for all involved (up to 4 people) should cost under $400.00. Not a bad price for a piece of mind!
"My name is Anuj Agarwal. I'm Founder of Feedspot.
I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Surrogacy 101 has been selected by our panelist as one of theTop 50 Surrogacy Blogs on the web.
I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 50 Surrogacy Blogson the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!"
It's always nice to be validated and acknowledged and making the top 50 on the Internet for Surrogacy is pretty awesome! I hope that my dear readers also feel that the information found on Surrogacy 101 is helpful and easy to understand! I appreciate your continued support!
Would you have a mail man sell your home for you just because he sees a lot of houses during his mail delivery route? NO? Well then don’t expect a family law attorney or a divorce lawyer to have the knowledge to draw up a surrogacy contract. It’s tempting to want to cut corners and save money but skimping on the contract phase is not the place to do that!
The gestational surrogacy contract, as well as the contracts for traditional surrogacy, are lengthy and complicated. The wording is very important and there are several sections outlining who is responsible for what and what happens under certain circumstances. It covers issues like what constitutes a breach of contract, who will be named guardian if something happened to the Intended Parents, what happens to the baby if it’s born with a deformity, and who is holding escrow and when are payments made? (Among many other things)
Make the investment and hire an attorney who knows the ins and outs of reproductive law. Not adoption law, not family law, but REPRODUCTIVE LAW. This lawyer can also handle the parentage actions needed to ensure that the Intended Parents names are on the birth certificate. If something should go wrong or there is a misunderstanding, the contract may hold the solutions.
The contract doesn’t promise that the humans who signed it will behave or that everything will go smoothly but it does make sure they everyone is following the “rules” and fulfilling expectations. A good surrogacy contract lends everyone a piece of mind during what can be a long and sometimes complicated process. Protect yourself and insist on the best lawyer for the job. (*NOTE: Both the IPs and the GC need their own attorneys, one lawyer to draw to up the contract and one to review the contract on behalf of the surrogate.)
Can we all say the word ILLEGAL all together? Surrogacy does not equate the selling of babies. No matter what some say, any money a surrogate may make is nothing compared to a full-time job. What payments a surrogate does receive is to either assist her in taking care of herself or taking care of the unborn baby she carries OR reimbursements for co-pays or incidentals needed to follow her contract throughout the surrogacy process.
A first-time surrogate receives between $28-$34 thousand. That may look like a lot but the average surrogacy journey lasts for at least 15-18 months. At the high end, that’s $1888 per month (for those that hate math). I wonder how much day care costs per week these days? And that would be 5 days a week for 9-10 hours. If it were 24/7 I would hazard a bet that it would be more then 2k per month. There is a benefit package that often accompanies the base fee which includes reimbursements for things like lost wages, child care, housekeeping, and maternity clothing, to name a few. There is also compensation for invasive procedures like amniocentesis, C-sections or D&C’s.
In Gestational Surrogacy, women are volunteering to carry a baby for another person or couple. Yes, there is money involved. Payments are also made to the clinic, the egg donor, the RE, the attorney, the mental health professionals, the pharmacy, the OBGYN, and the hospital. This list doesn’t include any specialist that might be involved with the pregnancy/birth. Surrogacy is an expensive process no matter how you look at it.
The thing to remember is surrogacy is an unselfish feeling that has to start in the heart. Of course there are other reasons and rewards that women may want to be a surrogate but the main point is helping others have the children they need to make them parents. It’s simple really. People helping people, families helping families. What could be wrong with that?
Today I am sharing a great article from the Huffington Post written by Jennifer “Jay” Palumbo Writer, Public Speaker, Infertility and Women's Rights Advocate! I was selected to participate in reading the 1985 version of the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and then we discussed it during a Skype session and again on a phone conference AND then we answered more questions via email. Follow the link to see what we all thought about this controversial piece. If you also have read the book I know that we all would love to hear your take on it!
Here is one of my quotes (STRONG thoughts about this book and how it relates to Surrogacy): SHARON: I think they are very far from reality of surrogacy as it stands today here in the United States. Even in India, this would not be called surrogacy. This is rape. This is enslavement. This is kidnapping. This is inhumane.
Handmaid’s Tale: Separating Fertility Fact from Fiction
Below, some of my friends (who also happen to be fertility professionals) discuss the book based on the questions I put together after finally reading it. The questions below are more fertility focused but still hit on so many big issues. If YOU have read the book, I also hope you’ll share your comments below. For now, let me introduce you to the members of the book club! They are:
This is going to be a short post. If you are gay (or a single male) and are considering expanding your family via surrogacy, you need to have a full medical checkup first. If you are using your own sperm then you need a full Semen Analysis. Why? Because you don’t know how healthy your sperm is. A semen analysis measures three major factors of sperm health:
the number of sperm
the shape of the sperm
the movement of the sperm, also known as “sperm motility”
Doctors will often conduct two or three separate sperm analyses to get a good idea of sperm’s health. According to the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), the tests should be conducted at least seven days apart and over the course of two to three months. Sperm counts can vary on a daily basis.
Why go through all the work and expense of finding your egg donor, a gestational carrier or a traditional surrogate when you don’t know if you will also need a sperm donor or a little help with the egg fertilization? Look at your own health first and then move forward with the family building process.
