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Success after IF
Lincoln10
member
Surrogacy
Lincoln10
member
I am looking for info on surrogacy (logisitics, pricing, etc)...we are thinking that is going to be in our new future. Any help is appreciated! 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Surrogacy
I'm not a big help, but I have a friend who is a gestational carrier. If you ever want to talk to her to see what the process is like from her side of it, PM me and I can pass along your info to her.
Good luck!
there's one gal on here that gave a good go at being a GC (their embryos) for a couple, I'm sure she'll pipe in soon. We're pretty close to heading down that path ourselves. Nothing seems to stick in THIS momma. ;-( But it would be a GC, and not a surrogate with her eggs, for us.
From what I gather, there's the fee to the GC (whether privately arranged or thru an agency), insurance in case hers doesn't pay, deductibles on her policy if they do, prep for the FET, meds, travel, legal paperwork (I've been quoted "under $1K" for that) etc.
It's not cheap. The guidelines to the GC seem to be "younger, have had a successful pregnancy the past 5 years, clean bill of health, etc."
I have heard that India is "huge" with this right now, but I have also heard conflicting things about the women that are asked to do this... paid very little, not taken care of very well.... you'd have to do some major research on this, it's been a while since I have.
When we started on the idea of this path, some incredible women started coming out of the woodwork saying "I'll do it!" which humbles me to no end. We could NEVER afford to head the agency route after all the money we've sunk into ART, so this is still a possibility for us.
However, we're still on the fence. Adoption is somewhat more of a sure thing than this, and you DO get the tax credits, work perks, etc. so it's a whole other thing to think about. For me, I don't care if I get a 5-headed kid that's purple, I just want to mother others. To some, genetics plays a larger role, to each their own!
HTH. GL!!
I recently underwent two rounds of IVF as a gestational carrier. I would be more than happy to help you out with questions you might have.
There's the basic fee for "pain and suffering" (lol!) that is generally broken down into a monthly payment once a heartbeat is seen on ultrasound. Usually $20-30K
IVF costs vary but FET is pretty reasonable. If you go the traditional surrogate route and use her eggs you can do IUI and save even more.
You'd pay her copays and hospital/delivery fees. (This varies obviously by hospital, insurance and region.)
If she goes on bedrest you generally pay an extra amount determined between you.
If she carries twins it's generally another $5K.
If you want her to undergo invasive procedures (abortion, amnio, etc.) there's usually a $500 charge.
You'd pay any travel costs for her.
I was independent, so there were no agency fees. However they did pay for their and my lawyer to draw up the contract and also for my required psychological evaluation.
If no baby comes of it, you've paid for the FET and maybe travel but you don't owe the GC anything more.
Another way to think about the costs is that it's the same cost that it would be to have your own baby plus another $20-30K to the carrier, barring any bedrest, etc.
India... I have a personal feeling about going to India and maybe I should keep it to myself but I feel like the women there aren't being treated fairly(to put it lightly) by their agencies. I'll leave it at that.
Logistics: This is your choice. I live in Iowa and my Intended parents lived in the new england states. I flew out there for the transfers. You could do that, have your embryo or sperm transferred to her location, or use someone local if there's someone available.
If there are other questions I'd be happy to answer them for you. I'm a pretty open book about it. I know that for you, it must be a difficult decision and one you didn't take lightly. Big hugs to you!
We signed on with a surrogacy agency and at the first meeting the owner very forthrightly told us that we should spread the word to friends and family before paying his agency to match us with a "stranger" GC. I told a few people, and within days 2 friends who i hadn't seen in years, offered to be our surrogate for our 5 leftover embies (after my dd, i can't carry any more pregnancies - not that I was ever any good at it!) It was nuts!
We had to request my friend's med records from her labor and delivery with her daughter to show no problems. Then she had to pass her physical and psychological examinations (6k for the eval- we are at a very expensive clinic), 3000 in legal fees (for our lawyer and hers), then we had our first FET. That was another 6500+ meds. It ended in a chemical pg. We just did our last FET with some "ok" blastocysts and she had a bfn at 6dp6dt. I was sure it was over but today she tested again and it was BFP on a digital. We're cautiously optimistic. I don't check in here very often anymore, but if you want more information on my clinic/agencies, page me and we can talk offline.
Oh and the real amazing twist is that after spreading the word, another friend was so intrigued by the process and everything we had gone through that she signed on with the agency to do it for a "stranger" couple. She just met with them and should be moving forward with a cycle in a few weeks!
Pandabearlover-sent you a PM