Surrogacy process for intended parents

An outline of the surrogacy process for intended parents. Click on each step for additional information.

Step 1

Intended Parent Application

If you would like to proceed with Surrogacy in Canada Online Consulting Services, please complete and submit the Intended Parent Application. We recommend that intended parents have registered with an IVF clinic and preferably, have frozen embryos when they join. Or, you can plan to start an IVF cycle to create embryos after joining. Before proceeding with a surrogacy arrangement please review our Intended Parent Qualifications, Become an Intended Parent and Intended Parent Checklist pages.

Step 2

Profile

Once we have received your application and fee, we will create your profile and you will receive emailed profiles of available surrogate mothers you can contact. During your membership you can contact Surrogacy in Canada Online anytime if you have questions and/or concerns.

Step 3

Meeting & Matching

Once your profile is listed on our website (under the members section) you will be on our mailing list to receive full profiles of available surrogates mothers. If you are interested in a surrogate mother you’ve received a profile for, you can initiate contact by emailing her directly and introducing yourselves. Many intended parents will make arrangements to call, meet or facetime/skype with a potential surrogate to get to know each other further. If you think you’ve found the right surrogate, then you will need to propose to her by asking her to “be your surrogate!”. If she says “yes”, it’s a match! (Some intended parents will ask their surrogate mother for a criminal background check. If you ask for one, it’s customary to provide one on yourselves to her as well). Be sure you are all on the same page with the important CONSIDERATIONS of a surrogacy arrangement.

Step 4

Medical Screening

Once you have matched, the first step is to travel to the IVF clinic for medical and psychological screening.

Step 5

Legal

After passing medical and psychological screening, we refer both parties to separate legal representation to begin contracts. Once contracts are finalized and signed, you and your surrogate mother will move into the medical phase of the journey to get pregnant. We strongly recommend purchasing a life insurance policy to protect your surrogate mother and her family during this process. Please visit our Canadian Insurance Agent List for more information. (Choosing not to purchase life insurance puts intended parents at risk of lawsuit by the family of the surrogate mother in the event of her death during this process).

* Please note your IVF clinic will require your legal surrogacy agreement to be in place before your surrogate mother can begin her medications. (They may also require a legal clearance from your lawyer).

Step 6

Cycling & Getting Pregnant

For gestational surrogacy, the IVF clinic will instruct your surrogate with taking hormonal medication to prepare her body to accept your embryo(s). This medication may include daily injections (cycling protocol varies among clinics). Your surrogate will travel to your IVF clinic for ultrasounds (to check your uterine lining) and the embryo transfer procedure. For traditional surrogacy your surrogate may either undergo the IVF process to create embryos or do home inseminations. (Traditional surrogacy makes up less than 2% of surrogacy arrangements).

Step 7

Pregnancy

Your surrogate will see her own doctor/obstetrician/midwife during pregnancy and many intended parents will accompany her at these appointments. Some intended parents choose to do gender reveal parties, maternity photos or baby showers with their surrogate. Enjoy your pregnancy together!

Step 8

Birth & Post Partum

Surrogate mothers can choose to give birth in a hospital, clinic/centre or homebirth. You and your surrogate may want to enlist the aide of a doula and/or birth photographer at this time. Get ready to meet your baby!