LGBTQ

Surrogacy Agency for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, and Queer or Questioning Couples

Central Coast Surrogacy, LLC is a full-service egg donation and surrogacy agency helping lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning singles and couples. Currently, 30% of our Intended Parents are a part of the LGBTQ community. We are proud to say we help build families regardless of one's gender, marital status, or sexual orientation. When you choose Central Coast Surrogacy, LLC, you can trust that you will be treated with the utmost respect because of who you are, not how you identify.

Every family is special and every member of our agency is treated as equal. Same-sex partners can feel at ease, open, and honest when working with our staff, egg donors, and surrogate angels. At any time, we have between 20-30 surrogates and egg donors in the screening process hoping to help a family just like yours.

You can rest assured that there is a surrogate and egg donor match for your family and cherished memories are waiting to be had. We also offer to design and promote an ad just for you, displaying who you are and what you are looking for.

LGBTQ Process

Consultation:

We believe that everyone has a choice when it comes to their wishes in using third-party reproductive technology and to guide their journey with our assistance. Empowering our intended parents with education and involving them is our main goal. We are available to meet you around your schedule and near to you or at your selected reproductive endocrinologist’s office.

We fully explain the process of egg donation and surrogacy; what to expect during this journey, who we are and what we do, who else will be working on your journey with us, and look into our egg donors and surrogate databases to see who is available to help you. We will make sure you have a clear understanding of our agency before moving forward.

Begin Your Journey:

To begin your journey with us, we ask that you fill out a profile so that we may get to know you and what you are looking for in a donor and/or surrogate. Once you are ready to move forward, we ask that you return all required paperwork and agency agreement and make your initial payment as outlined in your agency agreement. We accept payments in the form of domestic and international wire and US bank checks. Upon request, we can accept payment by credit card. A 3% fee is added to your invoice to cover the fees for this option.

Meet Your Match:

Our Egg Donor and Surrogate database has many choices for you, and once you begin your journey, you will have access to both. You are welcome to inquire about multiple possible matches, asking additional questions, and request more pictures needed. Meetings can also be arranged in person or via skype. Our Egg Donors and Surrogates are screened prior to being added to our database and will be medically screened by your IVF doctor prior to transfer.

Prepare Your Transfer:

After you have been successfully matched and we have helped guide you through the medical clearance and legal process, you will make your first deposit into your egg donor and/or surrogate’s escrow account. This is for expenses related to the transfer process; including travel and lodging fees, lost wages, childcare, etc. as outlined in your contract.

We will work with your IVF clinic to help schedule your egg donor and/or surrogate for her appointments prior to transfer (or retrieval), transfer, and her follow-up appointments. After an egg retrieval, your donor will continue on a day of bed rest and the eggs will be transferred to your lab. After the transfer for surrogacy, pregnancy results are typically available in 9-12 days. If no pregnancy occurs, at your request another cycle can be scheduled.

Pregnancy and Birth:

Your surrogate will be referred to her local OB between 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. At this time, you will be kept informed of your embryo’s development into a fetus and baby and welcome to attend any and all appointments. At the beginning of the third trimester, you will be working with your attorney on completing the necessary paperwork for the birth order.

LGBT FAQ

Why don't you complete all the psychological and medical screening tests on all the donors in advance?

The psychological, and particularly the medical screening tests, are only valid if completed shortly prior to beginning the actual donation process. If these tests were done too far in advance, medical or emotional problems could arise in the time between the completion of the screening and when the donor is actually selected.

Psychological testing can be completed promptly, and your clinic will have specific medical screening protocols that they will want the donor to complete.

What type of screening process do your egg donors and surrogates go through?

Donors must be close to 21 years old and no older than 32 years of age and surrogates no older than 38 at the time of transfer, in good health, and have no known negative genetic history. We accept women who appear to be mature, emotionally stable, intelligent, and able to commit to the requirements of the program.

Applicants fill out a lengthy questionnaire. In addition to covering their educational background, physical and personality characteristics, etc., this questionnaire covers their physical and mental health in extensive detail, plus the health and characteristics of their immediate and extended family.

When you select a donor, she will be evaluated by a licensed psychologist and by the medical personnel at your IVF clinic.

Most clinics include some combination of the following tests in their screening. Please check with your clinic for a specific screening protocol.

Pelvic Exam:

Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Baseline Ultrasound to assess ovarian reserve
Urine Drug/Nicotine Screen

Blood Tests:

AMH: anti-mullerian hormone, a measure of ovarian function
HIV
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Syphilis
CMV (Cytomegalovirus)
Blood type/Rh Hematocrit (check for anemia)

What happens if our donor or surrogate does not pass the medical or psychological screening?

Because there are so many tests involved with the screening, there is a possibility that she may not pass a test, or receive a result that would cause a delay in proceeding. If she is unable to participate then you may select a new donor under your original CCS, LLC agency fee. Depending on how much screening your first donor completed, clinic and/or psychological screening fees may need to be remitted for the new donor.

My clinic is pressuring me to use their in-house donor and/or surrogate. They say that it's faster and outside donors might fail their screen. Is that true?

It’s faster for the clinic. In terms of your donor/surrogate screening, yes, it is possible that they may not pass. The recipients who work with me feel this risk is far outweighed by the positives mentioned in the question above. They may have to be a bit more patient, but they want to work with an exceptional donor/surrogate and not rush what is probably the most important decision in their life.

Will you help us find a donor if we cannot find one in your current pool?

Why do women donate eggs?

Women donate for a variety of reasons. The financial compensation is often the initial draw and is generally designated for educational funding. However, evidence of other motivation and general interest is present in the donors I represent.

There really are many women who are drawn to the program by empathy or altruism. Some have a friend, co-worker, or neighbor who has experienced infertility; some want an infertile couple to be able to experience the joy that they have experienced through raising their own children.

Why do women surrogate?

What happens during an egg donation cycle?

As for the actual process of egg donation, it is easiest to think of it as an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle split between two women.

You and your donor will begin the cycle by taking birth control pills. The pill assists in cycle synchronization and the ovulation suppression process.

After a pack of birth control pills, your donor will begin taking follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This hormone stimulates her ovaries to mature multiple eggs – sometimes up to fifteen or more in one cycle. She will take this hormone for approximately twelve days. While she is taking FSH, she will be very closely monitored through blood samples and ultrasound to see how the follicles (eggs) are developing.

Simultaneously, you will begin using estradiol (estrogen) to prepare your endometrium for a possible pregnancy.

When the doctor determines that your donor’s follicles (eggs) are nearing maturity, she will stop taking FSH and will receive one final injection of a different hormone called HCG. HCG allows the eggs to become completely matured and ready for release.

At about the same time, you will begin using progesterone in addition to continuing the estrogen. Progesterone is the other hormone you need to maintain a pregnancy in the early stages.

Next, your physician will remove your donor’s eggs (before they are released) during the egg retrieval procedure. This procedure lasts about 20 minutes and is done under sedation. A needle is guided via ultrasound into the ovaries to aspirate the eggs. This is done through the back of the vagina.

What happens to the eggs once they are retrieved?

Once the eggs are retrieved, they are “washed,” inspected, and placed in a petri dish where they will be fertilized with your partner or donor’s sperm. There, they will grow and develop into embryos. Generally, three or five days later, one or two of the embryos will be placed into your uterus.

You will continue to use estrogen and progesterone to prepare your uterus for a possible pregnancy. You receive your first pregnancy test approximately 2 weeks after the embryos have been transferred to your uterus. Any “healthy” embryos that were not placed in your uterus will be frozen for future attempts at getting pregnant.

What happens during the embryo transfer (you or surrogate)?

The actual procedure set-up feels similar to a pelvic exam. Your physician will pass a very small catheter through your cervix and deposit a tiny drop of culture media in which the microscopic embryos are suspended. Additionally, the physician is guided externally by a sonogram allowing them to verify the exact placement of the embryos. After the transfer, you will be asked to lie still for a short while and then you are released. Your physician will give you information regarding what level of activity you may have after the procedure.

Do we receive all the eggs that are donated by the egg donor? What happens to any extras that are not transferred during this cycle?

Yes, you receive all the eggs that are retrieved from your donor. You and your doctor will determine how many embryos should be transferred during your cycle. Generally, one or two. Any remaining embryos will be frozen at your request. You may use these embryos in the future, at your discretion.

They are legally your embryos. Most couples end up with 2-6 frozen embryos. You may also consider donating your remaining embryos or destroying those not used. These are personal decisions and will be made with your doctor.

If the donor or surrogate does have a complication related to the donor egg cycle or surrogacy, who pays for her medical treatment?

Will my donor have enough eggs for own future pregnancies after donating to me or other recipients?

How is the egg donor/surrogate compensated?

Donors are typically compensated between $0-$30,000 for participating in the program, based on a predetermined amount prior to contracting. This sum is intended to provide reimbursement for the time, effort, and inconvenience involved with screening appointments and tests, taking fertility medications, appointments at the fertility clinic, and undergoing the egg retrieval.

Your donor’s reimbursement check will be mailed to her soon after her egg retrieval. If the cycle is canceled before the egg retrieval occurs (i.e., inadequate ovarian response), she will receive partial compensation ($500) for her time and inconvenience.

Surrogates are compensated typically between $0 and $80,000 plus reimbursements to participate in the program. The price will vary based on the program they are participating in and travel, medications, etc. An estimate of total costs for your surrogate will be provided prior to contacting.

Payment will be made in installments to your surrogate’s escrow account as determined in your contract. A typical escrow contract will require $25,000 at the match, $60,000 before the transfer, and an additional deposit if and when needed, to complete the journey, once the account reaches $10,000. Escrow accounts should stay open 6-12 months post-contract termination.

Can we meet our egg donor/surrogate?

Yes! You may specify if you are interested in meeting your donor/surrogate. Most donors and surrogates are comfortable with whatever choice the couple has made. A very small percentage of donors want to remain fully anonymous.

You may not be sure right now about this choice. We can discuss this concept further at our first meeting, and you will have plenty of time to make this decision.

Some couples will have a strong desire to meet their donor and learn more about her in person. If you choose this option, I will be there to introduce you and facilitate the meeting with your donor.

Many recipient parents will feel that they already have a strong sense of the special person their donor is from reviewing her profile and through what I will relate to you about her. This may be enough for you. If you choose an anonymous relationship, I maintain strict confidentiality.

What if our child wants to know about the egg donor/surrogate in the future?

The growing trend among recipient parents is to give their child information about the egg donor at the appropriate time. As in the case of adoptive children, there is evidence that it is important for a child to understand their genetic origin before they reach adolescence.

Additionally, not revealing this information to a child creates a family “secret,” which may somehow be discovered by the child in the wrong setting. Children can become confused and unsure of whether they can trust their parents when this occurs. I will provide you with a number of articles and resources at our in-person meeting that will help you make the right decision for your family.

When you select your donor, you will be given quite a bit of non-identifying information about her that you will be able to share with your child if you choose to do so. Many donors are receptive to revealing additional information about themselves either at the time of their selection or at a later point via CCS, LLC, or through the attorney who creates the egg donation agreement.

We have also seen a trend of the Surrogate Mothers staying a part of the process and meeting the child they gave birth to after the process is complete. This is completely the choice of the Parents and can also be stipulated in your contract.

Will we receive legal guidance?

Yes. I will help facilitate a contractual agreement between you and your ovum donor prior to the egg retrieval. This agreement serves several purposes. First, it allows the parties the opportunity to clarify their expectations and understanding of their rights and responsibilities. This significantly reduces the risk of confusion or unforeseen complications during or after the cycle.

This also provides individuals with the chance to address legally related questions, concerns and clearly communicate their intentions in the reproductive relationship. With the legal process complete, the parties are often able to proceed with a greater level of confidence.

Presently, most states have little to no legislation or case law regulating assisted reproduction. Consequently, in the very few cases that have been brought to litigation, the courts have declared that they will look to the intent of the parties when making their ruling. This means that the courts will likely look to the legal agreement in order to determine the original state of mind and intentions of the parties.

I will provide you with a list of attorneys specializing in assisted reproduction law.

Will the egg donor/surrogate also receive legal guidance?

Will my baby need insurance after birth?

Yes. In all states, it is necessary to immediately cover your child with insurance. This can be as simple as adding your child to your or your spouse’s policy by notifying them of the birth or buy purchasing a separate policy, which is usually the case for our International families. There are currently 2 companies that help with insuring newborn children:
The Life Agency
www.newlifeagency.com

The Resource Group
www.artrisksolutions.com

Still have questions?

LGBT Testimonials

"We would like to thank you and your staff from all of your help. We knew from the moment we spoke to you, your agency was the one for us. Your kind words and careful sensitive manners have made us feel good about our choice and when we look into our sons eyes, we feel grateful everyday to you and our Surrogate and now friend. Words cannot express what you all mean to us."

Steve S. and Liam T.

"After speaking with other agencies, we have come to the right place. Our little girl is due soon and we are so excited for what lies ahead. You held our hands from day one and helped us with all the aspects of not only surrogacy, but also helped us to understand how to get insurance and obtain a passport after birth. This entire process can be so scary and confusing being so far away. I cannot thank you enough."

Michael S. and Kevin T.