surrogacy journey – SurrogateFirst

Intended Parent Survey: Benefits Equality & Employee Retention 2023

Thread Admin — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 21:53:49 +0000

Our “Intended Parent Surrogacy Survey: Benefits Equality & Employee Retention” brings a unique perspective of how infertility benefits impacts employees attitudes towards its employer in terms of retention, recruitment and overall satisfaction. Learn about the pressing challenges facing those with infertility issues and discover the best advice from experienced intended parents that have completed a surrogacy journey.

View the entire report here: qrco.de/IP2023

Executive Summary

Benefits Equality is Mainstreamed

Knowledge of infertility & surrogacy issues are becoming mainstream.
- 60% know someone who has experienced infertility
- 30% know someone who has contemplated surrogacy to start a family
- 11% know a family that has pursued a surrogacy journey.
Surrogacy affordability is mainly limited to the upper middle class. Those able to afford surrogacy have an average annual household income of $176,000, creating a barrier to fair and equal access to treatment.
58% of employees support legislation that requires companies to provide health insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and fertility services, including surrogacy.

Offering Infertility Benefits is Important to Meet Employee Expectations & Satisfaction

Fertility benefits are increasingly common and expected. Approximately 1 in 3 surveyed said their companies provide insurance benefits that cover infertility treatment. On average, those benefits provide $11,000 in coverage. 91% of intended parents are willing to pay a higher premium for additional benefits.
65% of employees find it important for their employers to offer inclusive infertility benefits as part of job satisfaction and company loyalty.

Employer Policies are Under Delivering on Employee Expectations

60% of intended parents rated their company policies as poor or very poor in helping employees seeking support to a become parent via IVF, surrogacy and adoption; and they strongly agree (78%) that more support should be offered.

Infertility Benefits & Employee Retention

Job Retention: 61% of overall employees would be inclined to stay with a company that offered comprehensive infertility benefits. This inclination increases to 87% for employees that plan to be intended parents.
Switching Jobs: 79% of employees that plan to be intended parents via surrogacy would consider switching jobs that offer substantially more comprehensive infertility benefits.

For more information please contact Jeff.

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What Is Third-Party Reproduction?

Jeff Hu — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 07:41:24 +0000

Third-party reproduction is defined as when someone, other than the parents directly involved in childbirth, assist in the fertility process. Third-party reproduction can come in many forms, so we’ll go through them in this article to give you the information you need. You may think you need a lot of assistance, but in reality, you may do well with the minimal involvement of a third party! The consideration all depends on your unique medical history and how you want the surrogate pregnancy to proceed because there are many avenues from which to choose. Ultimately, we can help you make the best choice for you and your family, so heres a breakdown of what third-party production is and how it helps in gestational surrogacy.

How is third-party reproduction defined?

Another name for third-party reproduction is assistive reproduction. Essentially, the process starts by approaching an agency about receiving services. The actual type of surrogacy services youll need will vary from case to case. For example, you may need complete donor-assisted reproduction if you and your partner have medical complications that preclude you from natural insemination. Either way, the idea is to take advantage of significant advances in fertility science that make it possible for women who can’t conceive naturally to give birth. You can also use third-party reproduction services to have someone else carry your child on your behalf, a gestational surrogate! Your consideration should depend on what you’ll need because every situation is different, and you may not need as much assistance as you assume.

What types of third-party reproduction are available?

Third-party reproduction can include services, such as:

Gestational surrogacy
Gamete donation
In-vitro fertilization (IVF)
Embryo donation
Donor screening

If you’re an intended parent, you may need all of those services to start your own family for the first time, but you may do well with only a few. For instance, gamete donation may be the only missing piece of the puzzle if you can’t become pregnant due to infertility. On the flip side, you may only need IVF to conceive naturally. It all depends on what you need to begin a family, and approaching a third-party reproduction agency is the first step of the journey into surrogacy!

What is the process when finding an egg donor for third-party reproduction?

The first step will always be to see a fertility specialist since you need to know precisely why you can’t become pregnant naturally. It could be a congenital condition or something that you developed over time! Nevertheless, you’ll undergo several tests to determine where the problem lies. This way, you can rest assured that you receive the proper services from a third-party agency. Once you know the underlying medical issue, you can apply the right solution, which may include donated sperm and eggs, otherwise known as gametes. If you choose the surrogacy route, you can choose to use your eggs and a sperm donor, or you may only need to transfer an embryo to the surrogate via IVF.

For those seeking complete donor-assisted reproduction, how does the process work?

If you and your partner need complete donor-assisted reproduction, the key is to choose an agency that can shepherd you through the entire process. For starters, you may not know which agencies are available or whether or not surrogacy is legal in your home state! Surrogacy laws vary widely across the U.S., so surrogacy may not be an option. In some states, compensated surrogacy arrangements are illegal. You’ll have a few restrictions in others, but you may be able to still enter into a surrogacy arrangement! Once you know that surrogacy as a practice is legal in your state, you can begin comparing agencies to find the best fit. Since you’ll need full service, your chosen agency can accommodate your needs. There’s no guarantee that a fertility clinic will also help with surrogacy arrangements. However, as many of them will gladly help with surrogacy, its important to know which ones have a reputation for success. The next step is to decide on gamete donors, and the good news is that you have plenty of options because agencies go through great lengths to screen their donors.

How do fertility clinics qualify and screen gamete donors?

Each agency has its own criteria and threshold for gamete donation, whether or not it’s an ovum donation or a sperm donation. When you work with our agency, we ask that our egg donors be between 18 and 29 years old, but that doesn’t mean you can’t donate eggs if you’re over 30. Some agencies give more leeway since having a healthy reproductive history is vital too! Indeed, some of the best egg donors are women who have already given birth to healthy babies. A fertility clinic will also require that egg donors be U.S. citizens and residents too. You may be able to travel to another state nearby if you can’t find a clinic in your area. But you must always be a non-smoker to donate eggs or sperm. It’s a pretty standard requirement. Furthermore, egg donors have a right to privacy, so you’ll only have access to their basic demographics like their education level or other desirable qualities like high intelligence and athleticism. Either way, you won’t know the donor’s name unless you already have a donor ahead of time, like a sibling or close friend. As you can see, third-party reproduction services come in many forms, so with our help, you can make the best choice for you and your future family.

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What does a Surrogacy Coordinator do, anyways?

Jeff Hu — Tue, 03 May 2022 17:23:21 +0000

Your surrogacy coordinator is there to lend a helping hand, and will play a major role in your surrogacy journey. Here’s what to know about the role of surrogacy coordinator at a surrogacy agency.

What is the purpose of my surrogacy coordinator?

The primary purpose of a surrogacy coordinator is to advise and educate you on what to expect while guiding you through each step from the initial application to the final health screenings.

Surrogacy coordinators, like those who endeavor for surrogates for SurrogateFirst, also provide the bridge between surrogates and the intended parents. This is arguably the most important thing they do.

Occasionally, privacy concerns come into play in the arrangement, so having a coordinator is prudent when parties want to take the conservative approach.

Surrogacy in the U.S. has a lengthy track record of success, yet its not always a guarantee that the contract will go as planned. When things dont go your way, your coordinator will be there to advise you on the next steps.

What are the responsibilities that my surrogacy coordinator will fulfill?

Depending on the agency’s needs, coordinators may perform many duties and have more responsibilities than you might assume.

Some agencies task their coordinators with following up with leads on potential surrogates, including the initial screenings after a surrogate applies. Either way, they’ll be vital to understanding what surrogacy is and what it isn’t because many women get started in surrogacy without knowing what to expect beforehand.

For instance, the medical requirements may take you by surprise since the health of a gestational surrogate correlates to how well theyll do with fertility medications. Along those lines, a surrogacy coordinator will maintain the business relationships between fertilization clinics at the agency.

Lastly, surrogacy coordinators work directly with the surrogates and the intended parents to ensure everything is in order. Still, it’s common for unexpected situations to arise, so that’s when a surrogate coordinator really shines.

A surrogacy coordinator’s experience in the industry is incredibly valuable, especially when the coordinator is a former intended parent or surrogate.

We pride ourselves in staffing surrogacy coordinators who have been surrogates or intended parents in the pastthese are those with firsthand knowledge of needs at each stage of the surrogacy journey!

Will my surrogacy coordinator make medical decisions for me?

No matter what, your surrogacy coordinator will be a partner working on your behalf, serving an advisory role, but they will never make the final medical decisions for you.

Any health decisions will be yours and only yours because respecting your privacy matters the most!

Surrogacy coordinators arent medical professionals, so they wont even be able to provide you with the answers if something goes awry.

What they can do is help you work with the fertility clinic in question if communication is the problem. Either way, your coordinator will be your advocate when you need the support most!

How does one qualify to become a surrogacy coordinator?

At a minimum, you must have compassion and empathize with the struggles of those who can’t conceive children naturally.

Similarly, it helps to share the values of the agency in question, since not all surrogacy agencies approach things in the same manner. Some rely on building relationships; others keep their distance and keep things solely professional!

In that sense, choosing an agency is a matter of preference, so a surrogate coordinator needs to provide you with the right kind of support. As such, previous experience in a customer-facing role is essential.

Proficiency in the administrative work behind the scenes may require at least a familiarity with standard office software.

How much do surrogacy coordinators make?

Now that we’ve gone over the most important details, the last question is: how much do surrogacy coordinators really make?

As you might expect, you can earn a better salary with more experience, but if you’re a former surrogate or intended parent, that should give you enough credibility to ask for higher pay.

Numbers-wise, you can expect to earn anywhere between $22,000 and $93,000 per year as a surrogate coordinator, according to ZipRecruiter’s stats.

On the other hand, the average salary sits at about $53,000, so this career path is viable if you’re looking for a middle-income job that makes an outsized difference in people’s lives everyday!

Overall, the takeaway is that surrogacy coordinators manage the entire process on your behalf, so you can focus on taking care of your new bundle of joy.

About SurrogateFirst

We’re a boutique surrogate agency specializing in quickly matching intended parents around the world with our fully-vetted, 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.

Speak with a surrogacy coordinator who is an experienced surrogate with our agency today and learn more about how to become a surrogate or if you need to find a suitable surrogate.

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