We are pleased to announce Rhonda Levy is a featured blogger at Fertility Authority. Her blog, Own the Process with Empowered IVF™, is now live and the first post “5 Vitally Important Things to Know About Using a U.S. Surrogate” is available here.
Category Archives: Surrogacy
“Gay Surrogacy” Helps Gay Men Satisfy Their Desire For a Child With a Genetic Link
When a gay couple or a single gay man turns to a gestational carrier and egg donor to form a family via a process that has become known as “gay surrogacy“, they are coming from a place that is dramatically different from that of straight couples who might also turn to third parties for help with reproduction. Typically, the straight couple has experienced a long and heartbreaking struggle to conceive, first in the bedroom and then at a fertility clinic where they hoped to be able to use the woman’s own eggs and uterus. They have found themselves in “the land of the infertile”, a place they never wanted to be. Their journey has been long, painful and filled with a series of crushing disappointments. If they have decided to create their baby with the eggs and/or uterus of another women, they have first been through a difficult internal process that generally includes grieving over their need to rely on a third party. The gestational carrier and/or egg donor represent the only way left for them to have a baby and, once they turn the corner to acceptance, they feel grateful for the women whose generous sacrifices ensure that the option exists. Read MoreDoes Your Surrogacy Agency Conduct a Home Visit As Part of Its Screening Process?
One thing to think about when selecting a surrogacy agency is whether, as part of its screening process, the agency pays a visit to the home of a potential surrogate, at a time when her family, and any others living there, are also present. Some agencies do not conduct home visits as part of their screening process. In fact, some never have a physical meeting with their surrogates before matching them with Intended Parents, and interact with them and others in their lives by phone or Skype. Some agencies do meet with their surrogates and her husband or partner face-to-face prior to matching them, but the meetings take place in the agency’s office rather than in the surrogates’ homes. Unfortunately, some surrogacy agencies never speak with their surrogates as part of their screening process, and rely exclusively on applications that have been submitted online.
The purpose of a home visit is to reassure Intended Parents that the surrogate, who will be carrying their baby in her residence, lives in a home and in a neighbourhood that is clean, safe and stable. The home visit also gives the surrogate’s family, who will experience the surrogacy together with her, a chance to ask questions, in person, of a professional with deep knowledge of the process. Read More