The 9 Stages of a Surrogacy Programme: From Contract to Coming Home

From signing the contract to the moment a family finally walks through their own front door with their baby, a surrogacy programme moves through nine clearly defined stages, medical and legal at once. Timing can shift slightly from case to case, but the underlying logic of the path stays the same.

It all begins with the parents’ arrival at the clinic: biological material is frozen, medical screening takes place, and all documents and consents needed to launch the programme are signed. This is the first stage — the foundation everything else rests on.

Second stage — IVF begins, with ovarian stimulation for the intended mother or the egg donor. Once embryos are obtained, the third stage follows: transfer of one or two embryos to the surrogate mother.

Fourth stage — the moment everything was building toward: confirming the pregnancy. About 10-14 days after transfer, blood is drawn twice to test hCG levels, showing whether pregnancy has occurred. Next comes a first ultrasound confirming the pregnancy is in the uterus, and a second, at 7-8 weeks, that first picks up the embryo’s heartbeat. It’s this moment — not the positive blood test — that counts as the final confirmation of pregnancy.

The fifth and sixth stages belong to genetics. At 13 weeks: the first screening — bloodwork combined with a detailed ultrasound performed by a geneticist, checking for developmental abnormalities and genetic mutations. At 19 weeks: a second screening, focused specifically on structural development — whether organs are forming at the expected pace, and whether anything needs closer attention. This information proves useful to parents right after birth, letting them know in advance what to raise with the right doctors.

The seventh stage starts at 27 weeks and shifts the focus from medicine to paperwork: preparation begins on the documents both the surrogate mother and the intended parents will need to register the newborn and travel home.

The final two stages fold into one closing movement of the programme. At 35 weeks, the surrogate mother relocates to the city or country where the birth will take place. Then comes the birth itself — the baby is handed to the parents, paperwork is finalised right after discharge, and an entirely different story begins.

Welcome to the world, little one!