How to Choose a Surrogacy Clinic in Canada

When talking about the qualities of a good surrogacy clinic, it is important to be familiar with all aspects of the surrogacy treatment. This will help to point out and inform what to look out for in the search and how to identify and choose a good surrogacy clinic in Canada.

What is Surrogacy?

Surrogacy can be defined as a form of assisted reproductive technology where a woman who is referred to as the surrogate agrees to carry a pregnancy for another individual or a couple that are also known as the intended parent or parents respectively. Once the baby has been delivered, the surrogate then hands it over to the intended parents who assume responsibility and parental rights over the baby. 

Surrogacy is not a straightforward treatment. There is a lot that goes into the preparation, and there are a lot of steps that must be taken in the treatment to ensure that both parties get the best possible outcome for themselves. This usually includes consultations from professionals, extensive counselling, mental profiling, psychological and medical assessment of both the surrogate and the intended parents, plus legal guidance and advice.

Types of Surrogacy 

There are two main types of surrogacy recognized globally; traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. Traditional surrogacy in Canada, also termed altruistic surrogacy, involves the surrogate getting pregnant using her eggs with the donated sperm from the intended father through artificial insemination. Gestational or commercial surrogacy is illegal in Canada. It involves the donation of egg and sperm by the intended parents or donors, creating the embryo in the lab and then transferring it to the uterus of the surrogate who then carries the pregnancy to term and delivers the baby. 

Consider the surrogacy laws in Canada and weigh the pros and cons of surrogacy in Canada before beginning the process. Get a surrogacy lawyer to interpret the laws because this is a crucial step and will inform your decision. 

The need for a surrogacy clinic

Surrogacy is a controversial topic hence; it has different regulations in different countries. The treatment is strictly regulated or even prohibited in some countries, while in others, there are no serious laws guiding it. Countries like Russia and Georgia have strict regulations for anyone who wants to carry out the treatment there. Countries like Cyprus and Kenya do not have any specific regulations that guide the treatment. Other countries like Canada and Australia prohibit a form of surrogacy and allow another form of surrogacy. For this reason, it may be necessary for intended parents in one country to leave their country of residence or birth to seek surrogacy in more favourable countries. 

Since the intended parents are not familiar with the laws and the legal aspects of surrogacy, it is usually necessary for them to seek treatment via an agency that offers surrogacy services. These medical health travel agencies offer surrogacy as a form of overseas treatment or a form of medical tourism to international intended parents. In this article, the qualities of a good surrogacy agency or clinic will be discussed. This will help guide the decision of how to choose a surrogacy clinic in Canada.

Surrogacy clinics

The most important aspect that will inform a good surrogacy clinic or agency is the intensive research that the intended parents must carry out. Researching multiple agencies is very important in order to understand the different qualities and offers of each agency and can help in deciding the company that can offer the most of the desired qualities and packages. Some of the qualities that should be present in the agency include:

Agency success rates and experience or Reputation

The history or records of a surrogacy agency is one of the most important pieces of research that must be considered by the intended parents. Intended parents should ensure that any agency that is being considered has a track record of successful surrogacies, and they should use third-party data in order to validate the information. Also, finding a surrogacy agency that has staff that have a personal connection to the surrogacy process can help provide a sense of comfort for the intended parents, as they can identify with every step of the journey and help guide them through the process.

Experienced legal team in the staff 

This is a very important quality for an agency to have. This is because, in each country, some intricacies and legalities must be adhered to in order to keep the surrogacy treatment legal. Making a proper match between the intended parent and the surrogate requires a thorough understanding of the intersecting laws and policies that regulate the surrogacy process in the chosen country. It is important to ensure that the legal team is involved in the surrogacy process and that they are knowledgeable enough to guide through the surrogacy treatment down to the assumption of parental rights by the intended parents.

Communication and Transparency

It is usually a norm for agencies with larger staff to devote more attention to individual intended parents and surrogates. However, regardless of the size of the agency, continuous communication is part of a successful surrogacy experience. When looking for a surrogacy clinic, ensure that they emphasize communication as a part of their important values. Open communication throughout the surrogacy treatment can help ease the questions or concerns that the intended parents would invariably have.

Flexibility 

There are a lot of variables that are involved in the surrogacy process; this makes every surrogacy journey or experience unique. The agency needs to have had a wide array of experience with different types of intended parents. This will ensure that they have the required flexibility to be able to address the individual needs of the surrogate since they have experience with it. Working with an agency that has experience with different types of intended parents will also be important in tackling any unexpected obstacle that may occur during the surrogacy journey.

Relationships 

Observation of how the agency views a surrogacy arrangement and the importance they place on building relationships between the intended parents and the surrogate is also an important quality to observe. Some agencies are relationship-based. This means that they put a heavy emphasis on at least weekly contact between the intended parents and their surrogates to help deepen the relationships. It has been found that greater levels of contact and closer relationships between the intended parents and their surrogates usually make for a smoother surrogacy process. This helps in building trust versus a more transactional relationship.