Posts Tagged ‘Simple Surrogacy’

The Benefits of Professional Support During Surrogacy

Posted on: September 14th, 2016 by Simple Surrogacy No Comments

Pregnancy is undoubtedly one of the most unique and complex experiences a woman can undergo in her lifetime. Bearing this in mind, we are committed to ensuring our surrogates are surrounded by those that can provide them with the empathy and understanding they need to comfortably accommodate the physical and psychological changes in their bodies. In fact, Simple Surrogacy is spearheaded by a number of women who have undergone the surrogacy process themselves and can claim an intimate familiarity with what our current and prospective surrogates are experiencing.

The old saying stressing the need to “walk a mile” in someone’s shoes before you can gain a true understanding of their experiences is one we are committed to transitioning from theory to practice. Each of our surrogates enjoys the 24-hour support of a coordinator that was also once a surrogate. We understand pregnancy brings with it a myriad of emotions, some of which can be overwhelming or even downright negative. In fact, women can experience anything ranging from a sense of anxiety and fatigue, to feelings of joy and excitement.

For these reasons, the need for emotional support during the pregnancy period is crucial. Intended parents can certainly provide a large degree of support, as their relationship with the surrogate mother should involve open and consistent communication. With success, the surrogate mother will feel as if the intended parents are sharing the experience with her every step of the way—from helping her through the rough patches to providing companionship during doctor’s visits.

However, this ideal model of the relationship between surrogate mothers and intended parents, while strongly encouraged, may not always pan out as expected. Hence, the presence of a dedicated coordinator with an intimate understanding of all the ups, downs, and in-betweens surrogate mothers may find themselves facing may be essential for the mental and, by extension, physical well-being of the surrogate mother in question. The benefit that comes with finding a sympathetic ear that is both willing to listen to your trials, and capable of lending a few words of wisdom born of experience when needed is undeniable.

With pregnancy, the ups and downs will always come with the territory regardless of circumstance. With Simple Surrogacy, surrogate mothers and intended parents can both rest assured knowing they will have the support they’ll need every step of the way.

Visit us today to learn more about how our professional coordinators can support you throughout your surrogacy journey.

Surrogacy 101- Medical Process Choosing a Clinic

Posted on: February 11th, 2012 by Simple Surrogacy No Comments

Surrogacy 101- Medical Process Choosing a Clinic

Choosing your clinic is one of the most important factors in your journey to parenthood. Picking the wrong clinic can mean a bad experience, and ultimately you could spend thousands on the IVF treatments and never become pregnant.

The first thing many people look at when choosing a clinic is their success rates. One useful resource is a federal database kept by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that contains the success rates of fertility centers around the country. The statistics are updated every few years, so check the date. Keep in mind that some fertility centers that looked great several years ago may have had high staff turnover and declined in quality. It is important to verify that the main staff, such as doctors and technicians are the same ones that earned those high success rates. Numbers should not be your only consideration, but the numbers give you a place to start.

You should not choose a Center based solely on its statistics, but be sure that the clinic you are choosing has a high rate above the national average. At Simple Surrogacy, our experience with many clinics all over the nation and our high pregnancy success rates with those clinic gives us the distinct advantage of insight as we help you choose a clinic. We know which clinics and doctors are the most successful, and the easiest to work with. We can guise you to the clinic that will not only be the most successful, but that also will be easy and pleasant to work with.

You should be confident of the Doctor’s experience, and how long he has been performing the procedures that will affect your case there. You should also be given full attention while at the clinic and not feel like just a number. You will need to be comfortable, relaxed and confident in the clinic and their ability to help you achieve a pregnancy. You will want to have access to the staff when you have a question, and have a prompt response when a problem or concern arises. Simple Surrogacy Staff have personally visited the clinics that we refer to most,. And we have spoken to the doctors and toured their facilities, so we can fully attest to the quality of the care they offer.

Another important factor for many people when choosing a clinic is cost. The clinics we work with offer preferred rates to our clients because we refer to them so often. In most cases, we can save you off the normal IVF costs simply by being our client! In considering costs, you’ll want to consider what is included and what is additional. Some factors to consider are the costs of fertility drugs, which can cost thousands of dollars; ICSI; assistedembryo hatching; embryo cryopreservation; and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). These drugs and procedures can quickly increase the overall cost for treatment.

We’ve all heard the scary stories about embryos ending up in the wrong womb or ugly legal disputes over someone’s frozen eggs. To be sure you don’t become the next reproductive-technology headline, check that the clinic has good quality control and strong ethics. Simple Surrogacy has been working with our referral clinics for many years now, and we are confident in recommending them and have never had an ethics issue or violation with any clinic we refer to.

In short, as it is a very personal experience, you will need to be comfortable and confident in your choice of the clinic. But you should not have to decide alone. As a Simple Surrogacy client, you will have our many years of experience to guide you in your very important choice.

Surrogacy 101: Screening Process

Posted on: August 6th, 2011 by Simple Surrogacy No Comments

This article continues our series on informational articles about surrogacy.

As the next step in the process begins, the Surrogate has just decided to match with her Intended Parent couple, who may be a traditional couple, a gay or same-sex couple, or single Intended Mother or Father. The next step is for the Surrogate to go to the Intended Parent’s clinic of choice to begin her medical screening.

Your clinic of choice will screen the Carrier using the guidelines provided by The American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The screening encompasses a review of their detailed medical history, a physical exam, comprehensive laboratory testing, psychological assessment and medical screening. Multidisciplinary consultations with internists and specialists, psychologists and/or counselors, geneticists may also be required.

If there has been no previous work-up or if the testing is outdated, the Traditional or Gestational Surrogate’s work-up may include:

Gestational Surrogate Medical Screening

· Initial consultation with a Reproductive Endocrinologist

· Physical examination

· Gynecological Exam

· Blood count and chemistry

· Blood type and RH

· Drug toxicology (drugs, alcohol, and nicotine)

· Screening for rubella, cytomegalovirus, , toxoplasmosis

· HIV Antibody

· Hepatitis A, B and C Surface Antigen

· RPR for Syphilis

· Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

· Cervical Cultures for Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Ureaplasma, and Mycoplasma.

· Genetic Testing for Cystic Fibrosis, Tay Sachs Disease, Sickle Cell Disease, and Thalassemia.

· FSH – cycle day 2 or 3

· Group B Strep

· Hysterosalpingogram or Sono-hysterosalpingogram

· Consultation with the IVF nurse coordinator regarding the treatment protocol,
medication and teaching of injections. Review and sign the consent forms.

The Intended Parents will also undergo a screening process, which we will detail later in this series. Once all parties have been screened, and they have passed, then everyone is cleared to begin Counseling, Psych Evaluations and Legal Contracts.

Surrogacy 101: Matching Process

Posted on: July 28th, 2011 by Simple Surrogacy No Comments

Surrogacy 101: Matching Process

This article continues our series on informational articles about surrogacy.

The Matching process is the most fluid and tentative process of the Surrogacy Journey. Intended Parents and Gestational Surrogates must rely on their agency’s expertise to make a great match between themselves so a great partnership can be formed. The relationship between the Surrogate and Intended Parent(s) is the most important in the whole surrogacy process. After all, the Intended Parent(s) and Surrogate will be spending the next productive year together! So, the matching process is very important.

To begin, all identifying information is removed from the Intended Parent(s) Profile. Then that profile is sent out to available, qualifying Surrogates who meet the Intended Parent’s requirements. Those requirements may include state of residence, willingness to reduce or terminate, experience, preferences on contact during and after pregnancy, and employment status. The Intended Parents may have many requirements, but the Surrogate will ultimately have her own requirements as well to pick her Intended Parents. Simple Surrogacy also determines if the parties personalities and common interests match well. All of these considerations are very important.

Once a Surrogate has reviewed the Intended Parent Profile, she will then contact Simple Surrogacy to discuss the potential match. If the Surrogate feels the Intended Parent(s) are a good match for her, we will then send the Intended Parents the profile of the Surrogate.

After the Intended Parent(s) have reviewed the Surrogates profile and are interested in pursuing a match, the Executive Program Director will set up a conference call between the Intended Parent(s) and potential Surrogate so they can get a better feel for each other.

If the call goes well and they agree to take the next steps, then a face to face meeting is scheduled. Typically all parties will meet for dinner or lunch to become better acquianted.

Once the Intended Parent(s) and Surrogate have met face to face, they will then call the Executive Program Director to discuss how the meeting went and whether or not they would like to pursue a journey together.

You are considered matched through Simple Surrogacy once you have met your Surrogate or Intended Parent(s) face to face and all parties have relayed to Executive Program Director that they would like to move forward with the medical and legal process.

Surrogacy Texas: When should you use a surrogacy agency?

Posted on: April 29th, 2011 by Simple Surrogacy No Comments

Sarah and Jim had been trying to conceive for over 4 years. They had tried several options in their goal to conceive a child. Like most women when they decide to try to conceive, Sarah had changed her diet and exercise habits, she measured her basal body temperature and tracked her ovulation cycles. When that didn’t work after 9 months, her doctor ran some tests and diagnosed her with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and put her on Metformin and Clomid. That combination had statistically helped a lot of women with her symptoms to conceive. But it didn’t work for Sarah. She had a miscarriage. Those two steps in her fertility journey took over 2 years.

Then Sarah and Jim decided to try IVF. After 2 rounds of IVF that didn’t work, they were really frustrated, disappointed, and tired. Trying to conceive had been their focus for so long that they weren’t sure what to do next. Sarah didn’t want to continue taking hormones when it felt like the chances of her conceiving were slim to none. But they knew in their bones that they wanted to bring a child into their world. Sarah and Jim felt that having a child of their own was an important part of their life and that they would regret giving up that dream.

Because Sarah and Jim wanted a baby with their genes, they decided to look into surrogacy. Texas laws regarding surrogacy rights for Intended Parents felt like the best fit for them. Sarah and Jim choose to work with a professional surrogacy agency to manage the process because they knew that they were entering unknown territory and wanted guidance through the legal and emotional journey.

The greatest benefit to Sarah, Jim and their surrogate mother was the freedom of not having to communicate directly about the business side of the arrangement including finances and legal issues. At Simple Surrogacy, we handle all the details, so that intended parents like Jim and Sarah can relax and enjoy the process. They know that their surrogate mother will have the care she needs because their Surrogacy agency is managing the all legal, financial, and medical details.

If you are wondering if surrogacy is the right option for you to build your family, it would be our pleasure to serve you. Contact us today at 214-673-9321 or 1-866-41-SURRO.

Simple Surrogacy is a Dallas, TX based surrogacy agency that manages egg donations and surrogacies for our clients. Http://www.simplesurrogacy.com