Surrogacy Program With Own Eggs (Self-Cycle) Program in Georgia

How does the self-cycle surrogacy program work?

The intended parents will usually commit to a fertility agency in Georgia that will handle most if not all of the process. They do not leave any chance for failure, as all the processes are organized accurately, smoothly, and very effectively. The intended parents after committing to the surrogacy program offered by the agency are allowed to select or choose their desired dates for the program. 

It is also important to note that the IVF program will require the intended parents to stay in the destination country for a full week. This is because it is difficult to identify the exact day of egg retrieval when the patient is at the final stage of ovarian stimulation. Since each ovarian stimulation process is unique, and even data from a previous stimulation is not enough to predict the current stimulation, it is recommended for the woman to be present from the ninth day of stimulation, including day fifteen. As soon as the desired dates are provided by the intended parents, the program is planned accordingly. From the contract signing day, it usually takes about 6-8 weeks for the full completion of the IVF program.

What are the tests that an intended mother should do before the program?

There are tests that the mother should run before being admitted into the self-cycle IVF program, these test results are asked for by the agency before the program contracts are signed. The tests include:

• Complete blood count
• Human Immunodeficiency virus test
• Blood group results
• Rhesus factor test
• Hepatitis B
• Syphilis
• Herpes virus test
• Vaginal swab tests for Chlamydia
• Cytomegalovirus
• Hepatitis C
• Follicle-stimulating hormone levels
• Ovarian reserve tests (should be measured on day 2-4 of menses)
• Luteinizing hormone levels
• Anti Mullerian Hormone (AMH)
• Estradiol levels
• Thyroid stimulating hormone levels
• Prolactin levels – high levels of prolactin may indicate infertility

Another very important result to present is the antral follicle count results together with an ovarian scan. The report should clearly state how many antral follicles are present in each ovary. This antral follicle count should be done on days 2-4 of menses as the clearest picture of the ovarian reserve is gotten during the monthly cycle. For women that are not having their monthly cycle, the antral follicle count should be done during the first menstrual phase. All the above-mentioned tests must be done within a maximum time of 6 months before the IVF dates. 

The original results with the header of the clinics where the tests were done as well as the clinic’s official stamp present on the documents are accepted by the agency. If the test results are not in English, official translations of the documents are requested with the translator’s stamp on them. The results after submission are reviewed and approved by the IVF doctor and the lead embryologist of the clinic where the procedure will be done. After which the patient is accepted for the program.

What tests should the intended father run?

The intended father who will provide the sperm for fertilization is requested to provide the results from the following tests:

• Hepatitis B
• Syphilis
• Hepatitis C
• Complete sperm analysis which includes sperm morphology, motility, volume, and sperm count

The tests should be done within six months of the IVF dates. The results presentation is just as required from the intended mother.

Procedure for self-cycle 

For the ovarian stimulation and harvesting, the intended mother can get stimulated at the local IVF clinic then report to the agency on the ninth day after stimulation and have the eggs retrieved at the agency’s clinic. Alternatively, they complete the entire process at the agency’s clinic. The stimulation done by the agency’s clinic will require the intended mother to stay with them for about 17 days. The intended mother must have previously been placed on contraceptive medication on the 3-4th day of the previous month’s menses. This is done in order to synchronize the intended mother’s and the surrogate’s menstrual cycles.

For intended mothers that do not have a menstrual cycle, they are referred to who scan the woman’s ovaries. The person also identifies her ovulation or menstrual phase, then gives the contraceptive pills 15-17 days after the ovulation. If the intended mother is to be stimulated by the agency, they are required to report to the clinic three days after taking the last contraceptive pill. The IVF doctor arranges the first visit and the ovarian stimulation will be started based on their recommendation. In the instance that the intended mother starts her stimulation in another clinic, they are required to strictly follow the following instructions:

• They should forward the ovarian stimulation reports on days 1, 5, and 8 of the stimulation. They should ensure that the report includes an ovarian scan and the follicle report in each ovary.
• They should carry out estradiol tests on days 1 and 5 and send the results to the medical coordinator.
• They should run a complete blood count as well as a blood coagulation test and send it to the medical coordinator on day 7.

All of these instructions are very important and should strictly be followed in order to ensure the full involvement of the fertility agency and their IVF doctor. This will enable them to accurately assess the progress of the ovarian stimulation based on the response of the intended mother. The intended mother should then report to the agency’s clinic on day 9 of the stimulation.

After the final checks are completed, the IVF doctor will inform the parent of the day they should report for egg retrieval and sperm collection. Likely, the IVF procedure will also occur on the same day of collection. It is also important to note that the intended couple should abstain from sexual intercourse for 3-5 days before the sperm collection happens. Longer than five days are not advised as some of the sperm will start dying off and this is not good for the IVF process. Five days after fertilization occurs, the embryo is then transferred to the surrogate mother.