Surrogacy Timeline
What's the Timeline for Being a Surrogate?
We want surrogacy to fit into your life—and it can! We know you’re balancing all the things and usually doing it all on the same day (#MomGoals, truly). While surrogacy is a time investment, we’ve been where you are and we’re here to assure you, it can work with your busy life. Every surrogacy milestone you check off your list gives you the energy to keep moving forward on your journey.
Your life keeps happening, and everyone on your care team at Surrogacy.com and beyond understands that — the goal is always to work around your schedule as much as possible.
Your surrogacy agreement will cover all the “what ifs” so you’re not caught off guard if something takes longer (or shorter) than expected.
Your surrogacy journey will have clear boundaries and clear expectations so that you know exactly what you’re signing up for.
How Long Does Surrogacy Take?
All surrogacy journeys are unique, including how long they take. Here is a breakdown of a surrogacy journey with general timing. Remember, it may take you more or less time for these milestones.
Applying & Joining Your Surrogate Community
(+1 month)
Where your energy will be going:
Filling out a compatibility form (think matchmaking, but with potential people you’d be helping grow a family!
Q+A with surrogates who have been there, done that, and can answer all your questions.
Celebrating because you were accepted as a surrogate! Welcome to the sisterhood.
Creating a profile for parent matching.
Sharing your full pregnancy and delivery records with your new agency.
Pregnancy Prep Time
(2-4 months)
Once a surrogate and intended parents match, everyone’s attention will shift to the legal and medical side of surrogacy.
Where your energy will be going:
Medical screening with intended parents’ IVF clinic.
Negotiating and signing your surrogacy agreement with your lawyer.
Learning how to start your IVF journey.
Being on the receiving end of endless support from your care team, family, and friends.
Returning to the intended parents’ IVF clinic for embryo transfer — YAY!
Matching With an Agency & Intended Parents!
(1-2 months)
The best part about our team is that we can help you work through what you’re looking for in a surrogacy agency. We’ll take everything you share with us and present you with agency options that fit your needs. Once you make an agency selection, you’ll work with them to find the right intended parents for you.
Where your energy will be going
Working with us to identify an agency that’s right for you.
Completing a psychological evaluation and social work meeting.
Reviewing intended parent profiles.
Meeting potential intended parents via video.
Officially matching!
It’s Delivery Time!
(The most special day!)
This is the day you’ve been waiting for: you get to deliver your surrobaby and see the pure joy on your intended parents’ faces as they meet and hold their baby for the first time (cue the tears!). YOU DID IT!
Where your energy will be going:
Doing your part in securing your intended parents’ parental rights.
Following your birth plan (as much as you can, babies can be unpredictable!
Watching your intended parents fall in love with their baby.
Saying goodbye to baby and intended parents.
Prepping for pumping and shipping breast milk, only if this is part of your surrogacy agreement.
Life Post-Delivery
(3+ months & beyond)
The fourth trimester is here! A surrogate’s role as a caretaker for the intended parents’ child ends during this step, but this doesn’t mean her care team at the agency or her support team at home stops caring for her.
Where your energy will be going:
You, you, you! These few months focus on how to make you the happiest, most grounded version of yourself.
Self-care. Some surrogates even plan a vacation to celebrate their pregnancy's end!
Spending time with your family.
Getting back to “normal” and your day-to-day life, hobbies, and relationships.
Get Ready for Your Pregnancy Glow!
(9+ months)
Fingers crossed you have a successful transfer and you’re pregnant! You’ve been here before! But, even though you know what to expect, we still want to add to your “what to expect when you’re expecting for intended parents” list.
Where your energy will be going:
Continuing medications until around 10-12 weeks of pregnancy.
Being released to your OB for routine check-ups.
Experiencing the ups and downs of how pregnancy unfolds for you.
Cultivating a supportive relationship with your intended parents.
Completing your birth plan with your intended parents.
All in you’d be committing to an 18-24 month-long journey if all goes as planned. But here’s the most important reminder — no matter what stage of your surrogacy journey you’re in, you are never walking the path alone. No matter how long it takes,
we're always by your side.
Our
Promise
Blog Posts
A 9-to-5 Guide for Employed Surrogates: How Does Surrogacy Work Legally?
Learn more about the legal considerations for surrogacy, including workplace rights and how to talk to your employer.
Surrogacy Requirements: Can You Be a Surrogate If You Had a C-Section?
Learn how agencies evaluate delivery history and what makes you an eligible surrogate.
Your Guide to Surrogacy Travel: Navigating Appointments, Delivery & More
Travel is sometimes part of the surrogacy experience, from clinic appointments to delivery planning. Here’s what to expect and how agencies make it easy.
"My surrogacy journey was wonderful, especially once I was officially matched with my intended parents. It was important to me that I found intended parents who felt like we could be friends. This helped so much throughout the journey."
Susie
"Do it! If you are thinking about it, now is the time. Don’t let this moment pass you by."
Geneviève
"I knew I wanted to carry for LGBTQ+ IP(s) because I wanted to put more love and acceptance into the world. What better way to multiply love than to help build families?"
Jodie
"It was a journey through and through. There were ups and downs, bumps and delays, and the hardest pregnancy to date, but never once did I waiver in why I was doing this."