Top 5 Questions About Surrogacy from Montana's LGBTQ Community
As you’re getting ready to start your family in Montana, they are a lot of things to consider, ranging from the exciting (creating embryos) to the practical (birth certificates). Here are the 5 top questions LGBTQ intended parents have about surrogacy in Montana.
How do we decide who the biological parent will be? There are several options! You could decide that neither of you will be the biological parent and use donated embryos or donated eggs and sperm. Some fathers decide to mix sperm in order to leave the ultimate genetics of the baby up to chance. You could use the egg or sperm of one parent for the first child and the egg or sperm of the other parent for the second child. You could make two embryos, one biologically related to one parent and one to the other and implant them at the same time and hope for twins!
Can both parents be on the birth certificate? Since Montana is a surrogacy friendly state, both of the parents will be listed on the birth certificate. A pre-birth order with both parents names on it will be filed by your attorney before the birth of the baby. If you do not live in Montana, make sure you check with your attorney about the laws regarding parental rights in your state.
How many embryos should we transfer? It is common in the LGBTQ surrogacy community to transfer more than one embryo. Surrogacy is expensive so the idea of only doing it once can sound very appealing. Most surrogates only charge $5000 more for a twin pregnancy so if you only look at that, it seems like you are getting a deal! But, twin pregnancies come with more risk to both the babies and the surrogate. Twins are often born early and spend time in the NICU driving up medical costs. The surrogate has a higher chance of being prescribed bed rest (the expenses can add up when your surrogate is on bed rest) and needing a c-section. Because of the higher risk, reproductive endocrinologists often recommend transferring only one embryo.
How do I know I’ll get a surrogate that is LGBTQ friendly? At Montana Surrogacy, we thoroughly vet our gestational surrogacy candidates and their families. We ask them if they have a preference for Intended parents of a certain sexual orientation and match them accordingly. It’s always a good idea to ask them these questions again at your match meeting for your own peace of mind. Also, make sure you are protected by having a thorough contract.
What if I find a surrogate in a different state than me? It is very common for surrogates to live in different states than the intended parents. Just make sure the state the surrogate lives in is surrogacy friendly AND LGBTQ surrogacy friendly. Some states will not allow two individuals of the same sex to be on a birth certificate. Consult your attorney about the laws in the state where your surrogate resides. If you are using an agency, they should match you with a surrogate that lives in an LGBTQ surrogacy friendly state.
There’s a lot to consider when starting your family through surrogacy! If you have any questions, please reach out to us at info@montanasurro.com.
~ The Honest Surrogate