Surrogacy

Surrogacy can smooth the pathway to parenthood if you can’t carry a baby yourself. At La Jolla IVF, in La Jolla, California, world-renowned fertility specialist David B. Smotrich, MD, FACOG, offers expert support for intended parents and their chosen surrogates. Dr. Smotrich covers all the medical needs throughout the surrogacy process, ensuring the very best chance of a successful pregnancy. California is a very surrogacy-friendly state, so patients come to La Jolla IVF from around the United States and every continent to get the best in surrogacy support. Call the office or book your appointment online now.  

What is traditional versus gestational surrogacy?

Surrogacy means that someone else carries your baby and the baby goes to you immediately after birth. Methods are:

Traditional surrogacy

In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate goes through intrauterine insemination (IUI) or completes the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process using sperm from one or more of the intended parents. The surrogate provides the eggs, so the child is genetically linked to her.  

Gestational surrogacy

Gestational surrogacy occurs when a surrogate carries a pregnancy and delivers a child to which she has no genetic ties. 

The surrogate’s eggs aren’t used. A fertilized fresh or frozen embryo is implanted in the surrogate’s uterus. The embryo can come from the intended parents, donors, or a combination of the two.

La Jolla IVF recommends gestational surrogacy because it better upholds your rights as an intended parent. California law is particularly friendly for intended parents who use surrogates, and the practice has patients from every state and all continents on a regular basis.

How does surrogacy work? 

Surrogacy is a complex process. Dr. Smotrich says, “It takes a village to manage a surrogacy program.” The process involves working closely with your surrogacy agency and La Jolla IVF. 

La Jolla IVF works with trustworthy surrogacy agencies that can walk you through selecting a surrogate, surrogate background checks, legal contracts, and everything else you need to establish a surrogacy contract.

Then, you can move into the next step at La Jolla IVF. The FDA regulates all surrogacy cycles, so every step of the process must meet specific testing and screening guidelines. The practice strictly adheres to all guidelines and provides expert support from beginning to end. 

Dr. Smotrich is extremely experienced in managing the needs of the chosen surrogate and intended parents. The process varies widely from one patient to the next, depending on whether you’re using fresh or frozen eggs, sperm, or embryos. 

Your surrogate will take medication that prepares her uterus to carry your baby and will be monitored closely to make sure conditions are ideal for implantation. 

After implantation, pregnancy rates are excellent: 80% (donor into surrogate) and 70% pregnancy rates (intended parent into surrogate) for fresh embryos. For frozen embryos, pregnancy rates are 72% (donor into surrogate) and 60% (intended parent into surrogate).

To learn more about surrogacy in a surrogacy-friendly state, call La Jolla IVF, or book your appointment online now.