Top problems encountered during a surrogacy journey

One of the most common questions about surrogacy is a simple one: how long does a surrogacy journey take? Unfortunately, there’s not always an easy answer to this question! The average surrogacy journey takes about 18 to 24 months, from start to finish. But where your journey will fall on this timeline will depend on a number of circumstances, not all of which can be predicted.

Below, we’ll discuss some of the top barriers intended parents encounter during a surrogacy journey. But before diving in, it’s important to remember that none of these problems are insurmountable! As long as you remain committed and patient with the process, you will be able to start your family through surrogacy.

• Problems with your egg donor selection: Once you’ve selected an egg donor, she will go through a number of medical tests to ensure she is a good match for you. There are a number of reasons she may not be a good match. These tests might reveal a dependency on drugs or alcohol, for instance, or she might have certain mental health struggles that will disqualify her. In these instances, you may need to start the egg donor selection from scratch. Working with an “experienced” donor—meaning someone who has already successfully donated in the past—or one who is already been pre-screened and approved by an egg bank or IVF clinic can limit the potential for an egg donor match to fall through.
• Failed IVF Transfers: Despite all the screenings done to ensure you are working with the healthiest embryos, and healthies surrogates, possible, it might take several attempts at IVF before your surrogate successfully conceives. Each failed attempt will push back your timeline by a month or more. Your IVF doctor might need some time to adjust your surrogate’s medication protocol between transfers.
• Problems with your surrogate: Issues can also arise with your surrogate after you have matched with her. Surrogates are thoroughly screened for their ability to conceive easily, but sometimes a surrogate will struggle to achieve pregnancy. Many agencies will cover no more than three attempts at IVF before suggesting you match with a new surrogate. Though less common during surrogate pregnancies, your surrogate may also end up suffering a miscarriage. This too might lead to starting the surrogate matching process from scratch, which can delay your overall journey by several months. Although there is no guarantee, working with an “experienced” surrogate—meaning someone who has already carried a surrogate pregnancy to term—can help reduce both of these eventualities.
• Problems with your sperm or eggs: Prior to creating embryos, you will need to have a sperm analysis conducted. While most men will be able to produce sperm suitable for creating embryos, the results of your sperm analysis might lead your IVF doctor to recommend certain lifestyle or diet changes over the course of several months first. Your doctor might suggest you quit smoking, lose weight, or stop the use of testosterone or other medications like the hair growth drug Finasteride.
• Run out of eggs or embryos: The number of eggs your egg provider will be able to produce will vary considerably—particularly if she has had fertility challenges. Your IVF doctor will work to extract as many healthy eggs as possible, but the number may be more limited than you hope. The number of healthy eggs will in term determine the number of embryos you can attempt to create—some of which will be more viable than others. If you experience multiple failed IVF transfers and run out of embryos, you will need to start the egg extraction and embryo creation processes once again.
• Problems with legal work: You should be working with a surrogacy agency and lawyer who is well-versed in the laws surrounding surrogacy wherever you and your surrogate reside. However, some locations make it more challenging to produce all the paperwork you will need to establish yourself as the legal parent and sever the legal ties of your surrogate. Some places will allow you to petition for these documents even before the birth of your child. Others will require you to stay in the country for a period of days or weeks while your paperwork is finished.