How Surrogacy Works

From start to finish, the surrogacy cycle can take as little as 12 months. Though for most parents, the process takes somewhere between 15 to 18 months. Here are the steps in a typical surrogacy cycle:

1. Free Consultation

Book a free consultation with us. During your initial consultation, you will learn about the surrogacy process, our program, what to expect, and understand the cost involved. Consultations are done through video conferencing. We offer consultations in English and Chinese.

2. Join Our Program

Next step in the process is to complete the admission requirements. During this step, we will take care of the legal requirement to retain Cherish as your surrogate agency. We have to complete this step in order to search and match surrogates on your behalf. This legal step consists of signing a retainer agreement and transfer the initial retainer fee. We accept payment through domestic bank check, cashier’s check, domestic or international wire transfer, and Visa or Mastercard. If you need assistance with financing, we can help as well.

3. Understand Your Requirements

In order to match you with your best surrogate, we want to understand your requirements. You will complete a questionnaire so we can build a surrogate profile best suited for you. During this step, you will meet your dedicated Case Manager, who will support you throughout the entire surrogate process. You will also meet your legal team at this time, who will assist you with all legal requirements of surrogacy.

4. Match With Your Surrogate

This is starting to get exciting. During this step, we will look through our surrogate database and present you with a list of candidates. Our candidates have been through extensive interviews and criminal background checks. Once you have chosen a surrogate, she will undergo additional psychological evaluations, medical examiniations by fertility specialist, drug and infectious disease screening.

After being matched with one of our surrogates, we will set up a meeting in-person or via video call. Your dedicated case manager will facilitate the meeting, where you will get a chance to discuss expectations and pregnancy plan.

5. Start the Medical Cycle

The legal and medical process begin during this phase. You will fund your surrogate expense account at this point. Once the account is funded, your surrogate will go through the medical clearance process. After the legal documentations are completed and your surrogate is cleared to proceed, the preparation for embryo transfer begins. A cycle calendar for embryo transfer will be provided by your IVF medical staff. Once the embryo transfer procedure is completed, pregnancy results will usually come back after 10 to 12 days.

6. Pregnancy & Delivery

This is it! The magical time of watching your baby grow and get ready to meet the world. After the first trimester, your surrogate will be transferred from your IVF doctor to her obstetrician for regular checkups. During this time, your dedicated case manager will keep you informed on the progress of the pregnancy. We will also start the preparation for the delivery of your child, making arrangement with the hospital and your legal team.

We will also assist in the coordination of your travel so you can meet your child as soon as possible. As the delivery time may be anticipated, though not exactly predicated, some intended parents may even be there for the actual delivery. We will continue to support you after the delivery as needed, and potentially the access to breast milk.

We know you still have lots of questions. We are here to answer them. Start your journey to parenthood and schedule a free consultation!