What is the timeline for surrogacy?

How long does the surrogacy process take?

One of the most frequent questions we get asked from both parents and surrogates is how long does the surrogacy process take? What kind of timeline can you expect on your surrogacy journey? We know that pregnancy is nine months, but there is a lot more involved than being pregnant.

Steps Involved in the Timeline

The very first step in the surrogacy process/timeline is applying to the program at Hope Surrogacy to become a surrogate or an intended parent. Once background checks are conducted, paperwork reviewed, and a file is opened, we invite you to come meet with us at our Madison, Wisconsin surrogacy agency office for an in-person interview.

During the interview process, you meet with a mental health professional who will spend between 4 and 5 hours with you covering important aspects of surrogacy to consider. We spend an additional 2 to 3 hours reviewing what to expect legally, financially, medically, and emotionally in a surrogacy process. We want you to feel well informed and prepared for your surrogacy journey.

Once in our program, you wait for a match. This is where the true magic of our job happens because we don’t match you with just anybody. Waiting for a match can be a matter of a few weeks, to several months. This can add some longer waits for your timeline, but it is important to be matched with the right person.

Match Meeting

The most fun for us is the Match Meeting. You return to Madison for an in person interview with your Intended Parents/Surrogate. This meeting is facilitated by us, and we help guide you through important talking points such as your expectations for communication during the pregnancy.

After the Match Meeting, and assuming everyone has agreed to continue in the surrogacy process together, the next step is the surrogate’s medical clearance appointment at the fertility clinic. Scheduling this appointment can take a few weeks up to a couple of months.

Once the surrogate receives medical clearance, then the next step in the surrogacy journey is the legal work. Contracts are drafted and signed, and the surrogate is ready to start the process of preparing her body to get pregnant. The legal work usually takes about 2 to 3 weeks to complete.

Preparing the surrogate’s body to get pregnant takes about one month and follows a natural 30 day cycle. The difference is that the surrogate is taking daily injections and hormone supplements to emulate a “natural” cycle.

Transfer Day/Pregnancy!

The day of the transfer arrives, and if all goes well, a blood test follows about 10 days later. If the test results are positive, then an ultrasound is conducted about 3 weeks later to see the fetal heartbeat.

So, a typical timeline from start to finish is approximately 15 to 18 months from applying to Hope Surrogacy’s program to having a baby. We recognize that parents and surrogates are anxious to get moving along quickly, but it’s important to us that we move through this process in an informed, safe, and professional manner. We never want to rush anything, and we always have everyone’s best interest in mind – the baby.