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0 Navigating Your Fertility Journey
With so many moving parts to surrogacy it is no wonder the process can be overwhelming. Learning to be your own best advocate, effectively planning financially, physically and emotionally will reap great rewards in the long run. Making the time and effort to build the foundation before embarking on a surrogacy arrangement can help you maximize your chances of success and minimize your financial expenditure.
The first step in building the foundation is preparing to pay for treatment and the ancillary costs associated with surrogacy. Determine the amount of finances necessary after the application of any available insurance benefits. It is also vital to plan and prepare for multiple treatment cycles. In my experience, balancing hope with caution is what helps my clients to approach treatment with clear expectations and realistic parameters.
The second step in building the foundation is to identify the fertility center, the Reproductive Endocrinologist and the Embryologist who have above national average success rates for the type of treatment you are exploring as well as a specialty in treating your specific diagnosis.
Seeking ideal criteria in an egg donor and or surrogate is often a very intimate process. Identifying a candidate on line can be risky since they are not screened and you will not have the benefits of a third party to act as an intermediary. On the other hand, it is necessary to be aware of onerous contracts with recruiting agencies. Many agencies require funds upfront to share profiles with clients to help offset recruiting costs. I always caution my clients to be careful about limiting yourself to just one agency by putting funds on the table before you have a suitable candidate. The agency may not be able to meet your ideal criteria in a reasonable timeframe.
Another important consideration is understanding the legal terrain and how it affects your specific situation. Surrogate friendly states vary across the country. Surrogate friendly means that parentage can be achieved at some future point after birth. This varies greatly from state to state. Some states require pre birth orders to get intended parents names on the birth certificate after the birth and other states require a formal adoption after the surrogate delivers. Other states are favorable in getting intended parents names on the birth certificate at birth, as long as one parent is biologically related to the child. Furthermore, how the embryos are created, and with whose biological material is often relevant to the big picture.
Building the foundation for treatment is essential. Knowing all available options, researching the viability of each option, interviewing several reproductive specialists to determine if you are in the right place are all very relevant and key factors to consider before patients begin the journey.
When making educated decisions to pursue treatment options, I encourage my clients to take into consideration all the facts. Making informed medical decisions is the best way to maximize their chances of success and minimize their financial expenditure.
Taking a team approach helps to incorporate all the aspects that must be considered in a cycle. In my experience, addressing the emotional, physical and financial needs, although different for each individual, is essential for each consult.
Quick Guide:
Surrogacy can be overwhelming!
Planning financially, physically and emotionally can maximize chances of success and minimize financial expenditure
- Understand available insurance benefits and prepare to pay for the treatment accordingly
• Including multiple treatment cycles - Identify which fertility center, endocrinologist and embryologist you will use based on your specific diagnosis.
• Consider above national average success rates - Don’t limit yourself to one donor agency by putting funds on the table before you have a suitable candidate
• Seeking egg donors/surrogates is an intimate process
• It can be risky to find a candidate online - Understand the legal terrain and how it affects your specific situation
• Surrogate friendly states vary across the country
• Some states require pre birth orders to get intended parents name on the birth certificate
It is important to know all the available options and from them, research the viability and interview the different specialist before embarking on the journey.
Mindy Berkson founded Lotus Blossom Consulting (LBC) to help intended parents globally explore their options for biological families in the U.S. Through strong strategic alliances, LBC Consultants bring together the unbiased resources and professionals necessary to accomplish the end family building goal and serve as a guide through the often stressful financial, physical and emotional demands of the infertility process. For more information, email mindy@LotusBlossomConsulting.com or visit www.LotusBlossomConsulting.com
