Surrogacy is a good alternative for couples struggling to start a family through traditional pregnancy and birth. This is a process where the couple seeks out another woman who then agrees to become pregnant on their behalf, and after the birth of the baby, it is then united with the intended parents to start life as a family.
Some couples take this a step further, and rather than working with a local surrogacy agency; they choose to go abroad and find a surrogate mother partner in another country. There are many reasons to do this, including more choices and cost-effectiveness. However, for couples considering taking their surrogacy journey abroad, here are some steps that should be considered.
Communication Considerations
Above all else, couples should first factor in the issue of communication. The decision to have a child is one of the most important in the world, and being unable to communicate with people who help make this happen can be catastrophic. There are surrogacy agencies in many countries around the world. Still, you must ensure that any country and surrogacy agency you are looking at is conversant in your preferred language, whether English, Mandarin Chinese, or French.
Researching this aspect is crucial, as any misunderstanding regarding surrogacy can result in a potential lifelong regret. Always make sure you are understood and can understand what a surrogacy agency is communicating to you.
Currency Differences
Depending on your country of residence and your potential surrogacy destinations, currency conversion can play a big role in which countries are desirable. For example, with the backing of the dominant US Dollar, American couples get much more for their money when considering countries like Mexico or Georgia versus local surrogacy or even going to Canada.
Countries will have different conversion rates for how their currency will work for them, so it’s important to consider this. A couple from Singapore may not experience the same level of currency conversion convenience as an American couple when they compare the Singapore dollar to another nation’s currency.
Scheduling Travel & Accommodation
Another important factor for couples considering surrogacy abroad is the intervals of time they’ll need to take over the course of this journey. This isn’t like a traditional pregnancy where only the expecting mother needs to consider maternity leave at the later stages. Both hopeful parents should take time off while searching for a surrogate mother, especially when finding one and establishing the partnership.
Ideally, there will be multiple visits throughout the pregnancy, especially if it is a gestational pregnancy where egg and sperm donation is required. The surrogate mother should not be alone during this journey and should receive regular support from the hopeful couple. This means regular trips, as well as finding accommodation during those trips.
The Budget
Last but not least, budgetary considerations should be finalized. There’s a huge amount of variance here based on the type of surrogacy a hopeful family seeks. For example, traditional surrogacies where the surrogate mother’s egg is used have a very different final cost from a gestational surrogacy where a donated egg is used, but that egg is located at another facility and must be safely transported to the clinic to be used in the IVF procedure.
Financing a successful surrogacy is contingent on establishing a budget and seeing how far that budget will get you. Depending on the finances, this may change major factors, such as the country for surrogacy, if there’s a wish for more elaborate options that the current budget may not cover. For example, a hopeful American family initially targeting Canada may decide on Georgia instead once their total budget reveals that all their options are more affordable in Georgia than in Canada.
This is often the result of being able to work with reputable facilities in Georgia, such as:
GGRC Clinic
The GGRC clinic is aimed at helping couples on every step of the surrogacy journey, including finding a surrogate mother. It’s a choice for those looking for end-to-end service, at the start of their journey and even the end, with citizenship considerations for the baby.
Zhordania IVF Center
The Zhordania Center is located in the capital city of Tbilisi. It is a more specialized clinic focusing on In Vitro Fertilization. This center has the necessary infrastructure for collecting donor eggs or safely transporting cryogenically stored eggs from other facilities to their own medical labs for implantation in a surrogate mother.
Chachava Medical Center
Chachava Medical Center is an older facility that went into operation in 1975 and has served Tbilisi for over 100 years. It fully covers surrogacy needs, including obstetric and gynecological-related medical care.
Inova IVF Center
The Inova IVF center is comparatively young, only opening in 2015. It is like the Zhordania IVF Center caters to couples looking for an IVF procedure. It also offers other services like Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis to screen eggs for hereditary disorders like cystic fibrosis.