What advice would you give someone just starting out?
Definitely educate yourself on surrogacy and the process. Apply to a few agencies and definitely go with your gut feeling. If you are not getting good vibes from one agency, but great vibes from another, definitely go with the good feeling agency. Know that this is a "hurry up and wait" process. They will want you to hurry with forms and then you will have to wait until each party reviews it before proceeding to the next step. Just try to be patient and it will a work out!
What kind of Meds did you have to take and what did they do?
I took a total of 6 different medications from the very beginning of my journey up to 11 weeks pregnant.
Birth Control Pills – Sync cycles with the Intended Parent or Egg Donor. Only Active Pills.
Lupron - Lupron temporarily suppresses pituitary and ovarian hormone production and prevents ovulation from occurring prior to oocyte retrieval. This medication is generally started one week before the next expected period and continued until two days prior to the egg retrieval.
Delestrogen - Estradiol is a form of estrogen. Estrogen is a female sex hormone necessary for many processes in the body.
Endometrin – Vaginal Progesterone. Once placed inside the vagina, progesterone is absorbed quickly by the local vessels and brought to the uterus where it prepares the endometrium for the implantation process. The level of progesterone within the endometrium is highest with vaginal progesterone.
PIO - Progesterone is a naturally occurring hormone in the body. In women, the hormone is produced in the ovaries, the adrenal glands and in the placenta during pregnancy, and it is stored in the fat tissue. Progesterone is involved in a woman's menstrual cycle and supports pregnancy. It will help keep the pregnancy viable until the body can start producing it on its own around 10 weeks.
Doxycycline - Doxycycline is an antibiotic to prevent infection from the retrieval and to ensure that the uterus is free of bacteria before embryo transfer.
Medrol - Medrol is a light steroid that is used to prevent ‘inflammation’ of the uterine lining that can cause it to reject the embryo.
Valium - Muscle Relaxer taken before transfer. It helps relax the body and uterus.
Lupron - Lupron temporarily suppresses pituitary and ovarian hormone production and prevents ovulation from occurring prior to oocyte retrieval. This medication is generally started one week before the next expected period and continued until two days prior to the egg retrieval.
Delestrogen - Estradiol is a form of estrogen. Estrogen is a female sex hormone necessary for many processes in the body.
Endometrin – Vaginal Progesterone. Once placed inside the vagina, progesterone is absorbed quickly by the local vessels and brought to the uterus where it prepares the endometrium for the implantation process. The level of progesterone within the endometrium is highest with vaginal progesterone.
PIO - Progesterone is a naturally occurring hormone in the body. In women, the hormone is produced in the ovaries, the adrenal glands and in the placenta during pregnancy, and it is stored in the fat tissue. Progesterone is involved in a woman's menstrual cycle and supports pregnancy. It will help keep the pregnancy viable until the body can start producing it on its own around 10 weeks.
Doxycycline - Doxycycline is an antibiotic to prevent infection from the retrieval and to ensure that the uterus is free of bacteria before embryo transfer.
Medrol - Medrol is a light steroid that is used to prevent ‘inflammation’ of the uterine lining that can cause it to reject the embryo.
Valium - Muscle Relaxer taken before transfer. It helps relax the body and uterus.
Were you nervous about how many embryos were transferred?
We had planned to transfer 3 embryos since the quality wasn’t that great. After the transfer, I found out that my RE placed all 4 embryos. 1 was good, 2 were okay and 1 was poor. I was really nervous after that. After everything was said and done, I had confidence in my RE and figured that he knew what he was doing.
How did you tell people about you wanting to be a surrogate?
With close family, I called/emailed and told them what we were planning on doing. With friends, I decided to start this blog and also a Facebook page. A lot of people were surprised and a few were definitely not on board, but we ultimately did what we thought would be better for us and our family.
Would you ever consider donating your eggs?
No. It would just feel weird knowing that I have potential kids out there. This is just my opinion on egg donation. I have had friends who have donated eggs, but could never be a surrogate. It’s just someone’s preference. I just could never do it.
How much does Surrogacy cost?
There are a lot of factors with the price of IVF/Surrogacy. Intended Parents can pay anywhere from $75,000 up to $250,000. Meds, Dr Visits, Lawyer Fees, Flights, etc.
Was it weird having everyone in the room when you delivered?
Absolutely not! With all of my deliveries, I have had friends and family in the room. With this delivery, I had my husband, the parents, my case manager and photographer. Once it was time to push, I honestly didn’t even realize they were in the room. I was in my own world and concentrated on getting this little girl earth side. A lot of people are different and feel like this is a very personal experience and only want their spouse/partner or mother in there with them and that’s perfectly fine also!
Do the parents still keep in contact with you? Do you get to see pictures of “Surro Babe?”
Yes! I get to see pictures of C almost daily, which I absolutely love! My family and I get to watch her grow and its great! We try to email each other monthly, but sometimes life gets in the way.
How did you pick the Agency you went with?
When my husband and I finally decided to start this, I googled “California Surrogacy Agencies” and got a lot of websites. I applied to 4-5 different agencies and West Coast Surrogacy was the first agency that actually called me. It was about 2 hours after I had submitted my application. From the very beginning of that phone call, I felt in my gut that this was the agency for me. I loved the family feel of the agency and it didn’t feel like I was going in for a job interview. I would definitely recommend them if you are in search for an agency, whether it be Surrogacy or Egg Donation!
Would you ever do an “Indy” Surrogacy Journey?
I honestly don’t think I would. I like that the agency does the work for us and makes sure everything gets done correctly! Again, some people have better experiences going Indy, I just feel more comfortable with an agency!
Thanks Again!!!! If you have any other questions that were not answered, please don't hesitate to email me!
