Maybe you, your partner, or someone you know is considering surrogacy, and you want to know how long the process takes from beginning to baby. Before we lay out a general timeline, it helps to start with realistic expectations. This is a surrogacy journey, for both the intended parents and the surrogate, and every journey is a little different.
It is natural to wonder how long surrogacy takes, and it is a simple question without a one-size-fits-all answer. Several things affect the surrogacy timeline, including:
A realistic estimate is roughly 15 to 18 months from match to birth, assuming everything goes according to plan. Before matching, there is often a waitlist of several months, since qualified surrogates are in high demand, so it helps to factor that in when you think about your overall timing.
Not every agency or journey is the same, but on average the surrogacy timeline follows 11 steps that happen in order for practical and legal reasons. You cannot sign a surrogacy contract, for example, before you have decided that surrogacy is right for you. Here is how it usually unfolds.
The first step is doing your research and deciding that surrogacy is the right path for you as an intended parent. Focus on understanding the process, confirming your financial resources, and finding a reputable agency to partner with. If you live in or around Pennsylvania, the Surrogacy Center of Philadelphia has a strong reputation, and building families is a responsibility we take seriously.
Once you have decided surrogacy is right for you, the next step is to meet with an agency. This usually begins with a full consultation by phone, video, or in person. You will talk through the process in detail, get your questions answered, and decide whether the agency is the right fit for you.
Once you have chosen an agency, the paperwork begins. You will complete intake and matching profile forms that capture the kind of gestational carrier you are looking for. This profile goes deep, covering things like whether you prefer a first-time or experienced surrogate, your views on selective reduction, and how much contact you would like with your surrogate during the journey and after the baby is born. When your paperwork and profile are complete, you are placed on the waitlist for a surrogate.
Intended parents often wait at least six months before they begin reviewing carrier profiles, simply because there are far more parents seeking a surrogate than there are qualified surrogates available. Our surrogates meet strict medical and psychological standards, including being between 21 and 42 years old, having carried at least one healthy pregnancy of their own, and being in good health with no criminal or substance history. You can see the full list on our surrogate requirements page.
Once a carrier becomes available, you will receive a profile to review based on your preferences, and she will review yours. If both of you want to know each other better, your case manager arranges a meeting. If it feels right on both sides, you move forward together. If not, you keep reviewing profiles until you find the right match. Once profiles are in hand, this step usually takes about a month.
Once you have found your match and are ready to proceed, you will sign an agency agreement and make your first milestone payment, which is part of your agency fees. One thing that sets us apart: you only pay the full fee upon a successfully completed journey. If your carrier does not become pregnant, we coordinate additional cycles at no added agency cost.
To protect both you and your surrogate, you will enter into a contract with your gestational carrier. The agreement spells out the expectations, responsibilities, and financial obligations of each party, so everyone shares a clear understanding throughout the journey. It also establishes your surrogate’s future involvement, if any, after the birth. Attorneys work with you and your surrogate to review the terms. We wrap attorney fees into your first agency payment and do not bill separately for contracts.
Once the contract is signed, you will make your first deposit into an escrow account. This account is used throughout your journey to make compensation payments to your surrogate. Reputable agencies work with an independent, licensed, and insured escrow company so your funds are protected and your surrogate is paid on time. We use SeedTrust Escrow for this.
All of our gestational carriers have already completed medical records review and psychological evaluation. Your fertility clinic will schedule additional evaluations to prepare for the transfer and will give your surrogate her embryo transfer protocol, monitored through bloodwork and ultrasounds. Embryo transfers usually happen 4 to 6 weeks after she starts medications.
Ideally, the first embryo transfer results in a pregnancy. About 60 to 65% of first transfers do. Your clinic confirms the pregnancy with at least two blood tests, and a fetal heartbeat is confirmed by ultrasound at around four to six weeks.
Through the rest of the pregnancy, there is as much or as little contact as you and your surrogate agreed on. Much of it comes through pregnancy updates from your surrogate and her clinic as she attends her regular checkups.
Around the fifth month of pregnancy, an attorney helps you complete the paperwork to secure your parental rights and files it with the family court to obtain a pre-birth order. After delivery, your name or names appear on your child’s birth certificate.
Before the birth, you will create a birth plan that lays out expectations for everyone involved in the delivery, from doctors and nurses to you, your partner, family members, and your agency representative. Your agency also works with the hospital to provide the legal, insurance, and financial documentation they need. Your representative helps make sure everything goes smoothly, that your baby goes home with you, and checks in with everyone in the weeks after delivery.
As you can see, a surrogacy journey has many steps for both you and your surrogate. The right agency does more than take the guesswork out of each stage. You also gain a team of trusted advisors who have seen it all and stay beside you the whole way.
If you are still deciding whether surrogacy is right for you, we are glad to help. Learn more about our services for intended parents, or schedule a consultation to talk through your own timeline.
