Important Steps in Gestational Surrogacy

We're here to support you at every step of your unique path to parenthood.

“We had a great experience with NWSC. Thanks to our case manager and the whole team who have been taken care of us during our journey. We are in the middle of our second journey and we are more than happy to work with NWSC again.”

– T.B., Intended Parent

Step 1. Meet with Northwest Surrogacy Center, LLC

Contact us to schedule your free consultation at info@nwsurrogacycenter.com or by completing this form. Our Client Development team will meet you over Zoom to get to know you, learn about your needs, and explain the process. Find answers to common questions about gestational surrogacy here. If you have not already chosen a fertility clinic, this is also a good time to set up initial consultations with clinics.

Step 2. Sign up with our agency

Once you decide to move forward, you will sign our fee agreement and pay the first agency fee and non-medical screening fee. Our team will then send you a questionnaire to complete, request a short bio about you, and schedule a follow-up conversation about your matching preferences.

Step 3. Choose a surrogate

We believe a great match is the key to an extraordinary surrogacy experience. We match surrogates with intended parents based on a variety of factors, especially on shared goals and expectations for the surrogacy.

We will look for the right match for you and provide you with a potential surrogate profile to review. If you like the profile, your case manager will host a Zoom video match meeting. If that meeting goes well, some families prefer to meet a potential surrogate before signing a contract with her, but it is not required.

If you and the potential surrogate feel comfortable with each other, we ask that you place an initial deposit of $6,000 in an escrow account for your chosen surrogate to begin additional screening and medical procedures. A more detailed breakdown of surrogacy prices can be found here.

Step 4. Sign a contract with your surrogate and fund her escrow account

NWSC provides a draft surrogacy contract, and we will refer you and your surrogate to separate attorneys. You will review the document with your attorney, reach an agreement, and sign the contract.

Upon signing the contract, our second agency fee is due. At this time you will also fund the remainder of the escrow account for your surrogate. For the Essential Program, the base the estimate for this fund on your final contract. For the Guarantee Program, your Global Payment will be requested. (Your surrogate does not begin receiving her base fee until confirmation of pregnancy by ultrasound, but when you sign the contract she will begin receiving a $200 monthly allowance from the escrow account.)

Step 5. Additional screenings for your surrogate

Your surrogate will travel to your fertility clinic to undergo in-person medical screening. She and her partner will receive blood work and infectious disease and STD screening, and if she has not already, she will meet with an obstetrician to receive clearance for pregnancy. She will also undergo a hysterosonogram and trial transfer.

Step 6. Surrogate begins medication cycle

Once the contract is signed and the escrow account is funded, we will send a letter to the fertility clinic giving them clearance to begin the medication cycles with your surrogate. She will then undergo a cycle of medications for about four weeks before the embryo transfer can occur.

Step 7. Embryo is transferred to the surrogate.

Your surrogate and her support person will travel back to your fertility clinic, and your physician will transfer the embryo to your surrogate’s uterus. Your surrogate will go home and await the first blood test!

Step 8. Pregnancy is confirmed.

About ten days after the embryo transfer, your surrogate will receive a blood test as an initial pregnancy test. If the pregnancy test results are positive, she will receive another blood test a few days later. About three to four weeks after the transfer she will receive an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy.

Once pregnancy is confirmed by ultrasound, your surrogate will begin receiving installments of her base compensation from the escrow account you established for her.

In the event that pregnancy does not occur, you may begin another IVF cycle with your surrogate.

Step 9. Enjoy the pregnancy!

You can be as involved as you and your surrogate wish during the pregnancy. Some intended parents use this time to bond with their surrogates, either in person or by phone or Zoom, while others prefer to wait and be present mainly during the birth. In the meantime, relax and enjoy preparing for your new family!

NWSC will be available to you at all times in case you have questions, want us to help mediate issues with your surrogate, or just want to share your excitement! We’ll also be checking in regularly with your surrogate to make sure she has everything she needs. In the case of unexpected expenses, including bed rest or unplanned medical procedures, you may need to make additional payments to her escrow account.

During the pregnancy, you will also establish parental rights and the right to make medical decisions once the baby is born. Many of our clients use the same attorney who helped them review the surrogacy contract.

Step 10. Welcome your new baby!

The wait is over, and you get to be present for the miracle of your child being born! If there are rooms available, most hospitals will allow intended parents to stay in the hospital to have time alone with their baby. The surrogate may also wish to spend some time with the baby or have her own children meet him or her.

As soon as the baby is medically ready to be discharged from the hospital, you can take your new baby home!

Ready to take the first step to parenthood?

Schedule a free consultation with our team to answer your questions and discuss the surrogacy process, including matching times and costs.