At SurrogateFirst, we know US surrogacy success rates depend on plenty of planning, emotional support and a tiny bit of luck at just the right moments.
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During the initial in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, there’s certainly no guarantee that the surrogacy procedure will work the first time around.
In fact, it’s more likely that it’ll take six IVF cycles to become pregnant if you’re a new gestational surrogate! Without a doubt, the medical technology behind surrogacy is state-of-the-art, but it’s also not yet been perfected.
But the good news is that the U.S. has the highest surrogacy success rate in the world!
Still, we completely understand if you have reservations about being a surrogate since the application process is pretty thorough, even if you’ve already been a surrogate once before.
So, to give you a better idea of what to anticipate, this post discusses what factors most often lead to a successful surrogacy.
What is the surrogacy success rate in the U.S. overall?
Here’s more good news before we continue: once a surrogate gets pregnant, there’s over a 95 percent chance that they’ll deliver a healthy baby!
The catch is that getting pregnant using artificial reproductive technology (ART) is the hard part.
While it’s challenging to find reliable information on surrogacy in general, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does a fantastic job at providing snapshots of vital ART statistics for surrogacy.
For instance, the latest data on surrogacy success, released in late 2020, shows that there’s about a 60 percent chance of a live birth following all infertility treatments.
The catch is that this number reflects the success rate of women younger than 35-years old. Indeed, as women age, the likelihood of being a successful gestational surrogate goes down.
Besides that, many factors can affect the course of surrogacy, including the initial health of the surrogate and any complications during the early stages of IVF.
When is surrogacy most successful?
So, the question is this: what factors can boost your chances of having a successful surrogacy?
For starters, the surrogate has to be in good physical and mental health and have no history of inheritable genetic conditions. There’s also a clear link between the quality of ongoing prenatal care someone receives and a successful surrogacy.
That’s why our clinic takes the time to coordinate surrogacy properly to ensure the health and well-being of both the surrogate and the unborn child.
What are the basic requirements for surrogacy?
It takes more than the ability to get pregnant to become a surrogate. That’s one thing we like to impress upon the surrogates who apply to our agency.
At a minimum, we require that our surrogates also satisfy the following qualifications:
- Healthy reproductive history
- Given birth at least once before
- Six months since the last birth
- Aged 21-years old to 40-years old
- Body mass index measured between 18 and 32
- Not currently receiving government financial support
- No history of drug and alcohol abuse
- No history of mental illness
- A non-smoker who also lives in a non-smoking environment
- Live in a state where surrogacy is legal
- Agree to a criminal background check
We carefully screen the surrogates that apply to our agency for everyone’s benefit. That way, successful outcomes are more likely in the end.
In our experience, these are the top factors that maximize the likelihood of a successful surrogacy, yet they’re not the only ones to keep in mind.
Are there additional selection criteria too?
On the other hand, other factors can affect surrogacy, too, so our facility also insists on making at least one home visit to speak with the surrogate.
Likewise, we want all of our surrogates and their partners to agree to psychological consultation. Additionally, we ask that the partners undergo background checks as well.
While it won’t necessarily disqualify you, some travel may be involved to meet important milestones during the process.
The last requirement is that you have to agree to inject yourself with fertility drugs, similar to how a diabetic person uses insulin.
Does age really have an effect?
According to the data, a woman’s age does affect surrogacy success rates a huge effect.
After all, it’s a fact that women have the highest probability of delivering healthy babies during specific periods of their lives.
That age range differs from person to person, so being older doesn’t automatically mean that surrogacy will fail; it simply means success will be less likely and you’ll have to get lucky.
Overall, the success rate for surrogacy is high in the U.S., and the statistics will only improve over time as medical technology keeps advancing.
About SurrogateFirst
At SurrogateFirst, we’re a boutique surrogate agency specializing in matching intended parents around the world with our fully-vetted and exceptional surrogates.
We help individuals and couples, regardless of race or sexual orientation, build their families through the miracle of surrogacy.
Every team member at SurrogateFirst is either a former intended parent or an experienced surrogate herself. We also have first-hand knowledge of what it takes to have an incredible, successful surrogate journey.
Ready to get started? Contact us for a free surrogacy consultation or find a suitable surrogate today!
