Intended Parents: Surrogacy and Egg Donation Overview

At Extraordinary Conceptions, we approach all aspects of fertility with sensitivity, respect and dignity. We are committed to the success of our intended parents and are here to support you through this exciting journey.

Intended Parents: Overview

We’ve been in your shoes.

Building a family through the help of a surrogate or egg donor is a beautiful and exciting time. We also know how emotional or delicate this experience can be for intended parents. These powerful feelings are complex, and that’s why we can offer a discreet, sensitive and hands-on agency experience.

Our founders, Mario and Stephanie Caballero, are proud parents of now-adult twins, all thanks to the wonders of surrogacy. Their long struggle with infertility and eventual surrogacy journey inspired them to open the doors of Extraordinary Conceptions. With our firsthand experience with fertility treatments, we will approach every aspect of your fertility and parenting journey with care.

gay parents and young child

Intended Parents Meaning: What is an Intended Parent(s)?

When a baby is born with the help of a surrogate or donor, the folks who raise the child are referred to as intended parents (or intended family). This term is used throughout the entire surrogacy or egg donation cycle. Once the baby is born, intended parents simply become “parents!”

Who Can Become an Intended Parent With Extraordinary Conceptions?

At Extraordinary Conceptions, we work with intended parents from all walks of life and all over the world. Our head office is in the United States, but we also have team members in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, the UK, and Europe.

Each family has different stories that brought them to us, but they are united by their need for a helping hand to bring a child into the world. This can be for many reasons; some parents have medical reasons for infertility, such as illness or having undergone surgery that prevents them from naturally conceiving. Many queer families also choose to build their family through surrogacy, egg donation or a combination of both.

Dad with daughter at home

Why Take the Intended Parents Surrogacy Journey With Us?

With Extraordinary Conceptions, we always provide our intended parents with unwavering support.

Here, we speak your language—literally. We have taken care to employ an internationally multilingual staff from all over the world to help serve more families. Many of our staff members also have personal experience with fertility treatments, both as parents as well as donors or surrogates. We have many resources for intended families to use, from mental health professionals (LMFT), former IVF nurses, insurance specialists, travel coordinators and onsite notaries, and we can connect you to fantastic third-party legal services.

Many intended parents choose to work with Extraordinary Conceptions because of our S.A.F.E and Stress-Free programs. The former stands for Single Agency Fee Experience, which means that if medically advised, you can match with a new donor or surrogate in the case of an unsuccessful fertility cycle—at no additional cost. We are the only agency in the country that offers this! Furthermore, our Stress-Free program ensures that intended parents do not pay their full fees upfront when matching with their surrogate or donor.

*Special Terms Apply

Most important? We treat everybody involved with respect and dignity—including the amazing surrogate and/or donor who will be helping bring your baby into the world. Everyone involved in this process deserves it. Our surrogates even receive a two-year $750,000 life insurance policy, which is three times as much as other agencies offer. For additional information about our services and programs with premier surrogates, please email [email protected].

Intended Parents: Help With Choosing an Egg Donor

With Extraordinary Conceptions, choosing an egg donor is straightforward and exciting. Once you have completed your Intended Parents application, you will have access to our entire egg donor database. We are proud to say that it is the largest egg donor database in the nation! You can browse the database from your own computer, so you can comfortably consider your options in your own time and space. For more information, get in touch with our team—we are here to assist you!

Young attractive mom with newborn

Intended Parents: Help With Choosing a Surrogate

Choosing a surrogate is easy with Extraordinary Conceptions!

If you’re ready to get started, your first step will be to submit an intended parents application. Once you have registered with us, you will be able to create your profile. Next, you can start searching for a surrogate who fits your needs. When you have found someone who seems right, a meeting will be arranged, and the excitement can really begin. If you have any questions about the process, please reach out to our team. We are happy to help.

Frequently Asked Questions

That depends. While some intended parents find a surrogate match right away, others spend longer choosing the right one. Certain aspects of the process, like medical screening and drafting a contract, will also depend on the individual circumstances of both the surrogate and her intended parents. Location also plays a major role in your surrogacy timeline. While our US, Mexico, Argentina and Hybrid programs allow for families to jump right into the surrogate process, that’s not the case everywhere.

Canadian surrogacy is altruistic, meaning surrogates do not receive compensation from intended parents. This will likely mean lower fees for families but longer waits.
For intended parents on a surrogate journey in Canada, a year-long waitlist period is to be expected.

From matching to screening to drafting a legal document, the process of surrogacy has many steps, each of them equally essential. Albeit complex, these steps of the process have all been developed to protect everybody involved, especially baby.

The surrogacy process will involve working with several professionals, including attorneys, therapists and doctors. We know how critical it is to have a trusting relationship with all of these professionals. That’s why we’ve spent years developing close ties with many attorneys, family therapists and IVF doctors so that our families can work with reputable professionals we trust completely. We are always happy to make recommendations and put you in touch with the best.

To help you understand the surrogate process better, we’ve broken it down into bullet points.

  • Registration. The first thing you should do is register with us as intended parent(s). This is also an excellent time to get in touch with our team and ask any specific questions you might have—we want to make sure you feel comfortable and well-informed.
  • Searching and matching with your surrogate. Once you’ve applied/registered, the matching process begins. When you’re ready, start browsing our database. Once you see a potential surrogate, our team facilitates a meeting for everyone to get to know each other. If everything goes well, it’s time to proceed!
  • The screening process.This portion of the process is for surrogates, not intended parents, but it’s good for intended parents to understand what goes on behind the scenes. The screening involves two main types of testing: a psychological evaluation by a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and comprehensive medical screening. During this time, intended parents can prepare for the legal contracts portion of their process.
  • Legal contracts and birth plans.Following medical and psychological clearance, all parties work together with their respective lawyers to draft a legal contract. During this time, you will also develop a birth plan that suits all parties.
  • Timeline and medication schedule. Once the contract has been signed, it’s time for your surrogate to begin medication and monitoring. This preparatory time generally lasts around three weeks.
  • The embryo transfer.  Your IVF doctor will transfer the embryo. We will arrange and manage all travel itineraries for your surrogate and her companion if necessary. You may choose to be at the transfer—many intended parents do!
  • Pregnancy confirmation.  Two weeks after the embryo transfer, a beta blood test will determine whether your surrogate is pregnant. The first ultrasound appointment will be around four to five weeks after pregnancy is confirmed.
  • The big arrival.  Delivery day will depend on the birth plan drafted by everybody during the legal portion of the process and the health of the surrogate mother. Most often, the intended parents are right there supporting their surrogate and welcoming their baby to the world.

At Extraordinary Conceptions, we wanted a comprehensive and straightforward way for our Intended Parents to choose the best surrogate for their needs. It’s crucial that intended parents are comfortable with their chosen surrogate and vice versa!

When intended parents register with Extraordinary Conceptions, they are granted 24/7 access to our entire surrogate database. This database can be accessed from anywhere (with a password) so families can search for a surrogate on their own time, from the comfort of their own homes. This database is filled with detailed profiles of keen surrogates all across the country who have all been interviewed and selected by our team.

Once you’ve matched up with a surrogate, your next step will be screening. This portion of the process mostly involves your surrogate—she will undergo medical and psychological screening to triple-check that this journey is right for her. During this time, you can sit back and relax. You’ll receive word soon that it’s time to begin the legal drafting portion of your surrogacy. You’ll be one step closer to the start of your parenting journey!

Yes! Intended parents face a long and involved process when they embark on their ART journey. There are major decisions to make, financial investments to consider and legal requirements to fulfill. Furthermore, surrogacy is a fairly complex experience, and many steps will vary depending on where you live and your local legislature. Even in the most surrogate-friendly countries and states/provinces, there are several crucial steps involved in the surrogate process. While all of these regulations make complete sense and protect both you and your coming child, they can be overwhelming to navigate on your own.

That’s where we come in.

Extraordinary Conceptions will streamline the entire process for you, from matching with a surrogate and/or egg donor to ensuring a smooth experience until the baby finally arrives.

Best of all? We’re fertility experts, and many of our team members have had firsthand experience with surrogacy. We understand how emotional this process can be, and that’s why we’re here to support you.

If you are ready to begin your family-building experience with us, please reach out to our team so that we can walk you through the process from start to finish. Thank you for trusting us to be part of this incredible journey with you.

Read About Becoming an Intended Parent!

Take a look at what some of our own surrogates have said about their experience with Extraordinary Conceptions:

“Any “difficult” parts of the pregnancy were immediately erased the moment I saw the look on my Intended Parents’ faces. It was pure joy for all of us!”

Jennifer
“I just wanted to thank you guys for working so hard with us to make this happen! I feel so grateful being able to help such an awesome couple.”
Ashley
“Extraordinary Conceptions really made the process of surrogacy a wonderful one. Always making me feel comfortable and being there to answer every single question. Thank you for introducing me to my intended parents and letting me help make their dreams come true.”
Natalie
“Seeing the parents hold their baby for the first time was the best part of my journey and I knew immediately that I wanted to do this again”
Karen

We’re Honored to be Part of Your Journey!

Register to become an Intended Parent with Extraordinary Conceptions today, and someone from our team will be in touch with you very shortly. We are honored and excited to help you take the steps to making your family’s dreams come true.

Hands forming a heart