For couples that have medical or other considerations that make conventional childbirth challenging or even impossible, surrogacy is an alternative for starting a family. Surrogacy is when one woman is evaluated as medically suitable and agrees on behalf of a hopeful couple to become pregnant. When the baby is born, the infant is introduced to the couple and a new life together as a family begins.
However, the surrogacy journey is complex and demanding. While it’s possible for hopeful couples to try this endeavor all by themselves, the best chance at a successful conclusion is to work with people experienced in providing surrogacy services, and that typically means working with the best surrogacy agencies.
It’s important to consider that every couple will have different needs and goals for surrogacy, so it’s critical to find an agency that can address those needs. But how do you find the best surrogacy agencies for what you want?
Surrogacy Needs
The kind of surrogacy a couple is aiming for will, in large part, determine the best surrogacy agencies for their goals. For example, if a couple is patient, and is not aiming to spend a lot of money on this venture, and does not want to travel, then an altruistic surrogacy may be what they are looking for, an agency that specializes in altruistic surrogacies will be the most appropriate.
The big difference here is that an altruistic surrogacy is one where the surrogate mother volunteers her time and her body for the benefit of the hopeful couple. She expects no monetary award in return for what she does, and only receives money to cover her living and medical expenses as the pregnancy progresses. Because it’s such a demanding act of generosity, a much lower number of women tend to volunteer for this task. In turn, that means longer waits for couples as they search for an available and willing surrogate mother.
Many countries, however, such as the UK and Canada, only permit this type of surrogacy. So a couple that is in no rush and in one of these countries, with no wish to travel, will benefit from seeking out the best local surrogacy agencies for needs.
Compensated Surrogacies
On the other end of the spectrum is the compensated surrogacy, which, as the name suggests, provides significant financial recognition to the surrogate mother for her role in this process. The cost of a compensated surrogacy is often big enough to make a huge difference in a woman’s life, so many more eligible women are willing to work as a surrogate mother in those countries that legally permit compensated surrogacies.
In these instances, the best surrogacy agencies will be those that cater to couples who are willing to invest in a compensated surrogacy, and, as with altruistic surrogacy agencies, they should have the experience and protocols in place to screen surrogate candidates and help facilitate liaisons between potential candidates and couples.
However, if your country doesn’t permit compensated surrogacies, that means traveling abroad, which expands your range of needs for what to look for in the best surrogacy agencies. Now you need to consider things like.
Communication
A surrogate mother’s experience will only succeed with good communication. If you can’t understand what’s going on, and a surrogate mother can’t understand your needs, things will go badly. The best foreign surrogacy agencies will have experience in dealing with foreign couples to communicate in their preferred language, whether that is English, Mandarin Chinese, or French. If you can’t communicate with the surrogacy agency you’re considering in another country, step away immediately.
Infrastructure
Another important factor to consider is the quality of medical care you are looking for with your surrogacy. Depending on both the country you consider as well as the individual surrogacy agencies you look at, there is a spectrum for the type of quality you will find in terms of medical facilities and medical experience of staff. While the United States is not the only country that boasts world class medical facilities and personnel, it can’t be assumed that every surrogacy agency you talk to is automatically competitive.
You must carefully research your options here to ensure you get what you want especially if you are considering more comprehensive types of surrogacy, such as In Vitro Fertilization.
Citizenship Protocols
If you’re traveling abroad for surrogacy, do you want to handle the citizenship issues with your newborn yourself, or do you want legal assistance? Without proper legal protocols observed, a baby can arrive at the intended country of residence and be classed as “stateless,” because the government does not recognize the baby as a citizen and therefore will not allow entry.
However, with a surrogacy agency that is experienced in dealing with foreign couples, they may provide additional legal services to ensure that the requirements for a specific country are met before returning, to ensure a smooth start to a new life as a family.