What You Should Know If You’re Planning To Pursue Independent Surrogacy

Independent or private surrogacy is a surrogacy journey that does not enlist the help of a fertility agency. 

What is independent surrogacy?

In independent surrogacy, the intended parent or parents choose to work directly with fertility professionals, rather than going through an agency, and handle the coordination of the process themselves.

Who usually pursues independent surrogacy and why

In most cases, people choose to pursue this surrogacy type for 4 main reasons:

1. Friends and family. Independent surrogacy is most common when the people involved already know someone who is willing to be their surrogate or her intended parents.
   
2. Independent match. There are instances where the intended parents do not already know their carrier, but still manage to find a surrogate without using the matching services or clinic.
   
3. Greater control. Some people prefer to have more control over the process and that is exactly what they get when they take care of all the logistics, communication and coordination involved in the surrogacy process and usually handled by agencies.
   
4. Financial. When there’s no agency involved there are also no agency fees. By managing and coordinating all the milestones in their journey, intended parents can significantly lower the overall surrogacy cost. 

But, if the process is not managed properly it could end up costing the same or even more than a journey managed by an agency. You should also be aware that paying all service providers separately can add up, so make sure to calculate all your expenses in advance to avoid unpleasant surprises.

It’s important to add that a by-product of the indy surrogacy type, which is considered an advantage by many intended parents, is that the bond between the intended parents and their carrier tends to be stronger, because everybody needs to work closely together throughout the surrogacy process.

How to do it right

Before you decide to pursue a surrogacy journey without an agency, it’s important to understand that you will need to take care of all the logistics, requirements and endless details involved in the process. 

Also, you will need to outsource all the surrogacy professionals to provide the medical and legal services needed for a successful surrogacy process.

“I highly recommend finding a great team,” advises Lisa Chiya, founder and president of Genesis Group fertility agency and a founding member and a board member of nonprofit organization SEEDS (The Society for Ethics for Egg Donation and Surrogacy).

“If you can find a fertility coach that knows what they’re doing, preferably one with agency experience, that would be ideal.

 It’s also best to set yourself up with a solid team of seasoned professionals, e.g. doctor, clinic, attorney and mental health professional. Make sure you’re working with vetted professionals.”