Hope Harbor Surrogacy · Since 2013
Your Path to Parenthood, Clearly Mapped Out.
Choosing gestational surrogacy is a profound step toward growing your family. This page walks you through exactly what to expect at every stage of your journey with Hope Harbor, from your very first conversation with us to the moment you hold your baby.
A Clear Overview of Your Journey
This page is designed to give you an honest overview of the general process of using a gestational surrogate to grow your family. Once you are in our program, your dedicated coordinator will guide you personally through every step and provide you with our complete guide, written specifically to walk Intended Parents through what to expect when your surrogate is expecting.
📘 Every matched family receives our complete “What to Expect” guide
1Getting Started
Your journey begins with a conversation, not a commitment. This phase is about making sure Hope Harbor is the right fit for you before anything is finalized.
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Complete Our Contact Form
Submit our simple contact form and you will be reached out to personally by a member of our Executive Program team, who will send you additional information to review at your own pace.
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Review Your Information Packet
Read through the materials we send and take your time compiling any questions. There is no rush and no pressure. We want you fully informed before you move forward.
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Free Consultation Call
Have a consultation call completely free of charge with a member of our Executive Program Director team, or meet with us in person if you prefer a face to face conversation.
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Receive Your Retainer Agreement
Our Financial Director will send your Retainer Agreement and personally address any questions you have about it before you are asked to sign anything.
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Sign and Submit Your Agency Fee
Once you are comfortable, you will sign the Retainer Agreement and submit your initial Agency Fee to officially begin your program enrollment.
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Complete Your Intended Parent Profile
Build your Intended Parent Profile online. This is what we will eventually share with prospective surrogates, so we help you present your story warmly and authentically.
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Browse Egg Donors, If Applicable
If your journey involves an egg donor, you are welcome to browse our donor database free of charge as part of your planning process.
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Background Checks
Background checks are run as a standard part of our process, helping protect the integrity and safety of every match we facilitate.
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Psychological Consultation
A psychological consultation is scheduled with an associate psychologist to help ensure you feel emotionally prepared and supported as you move toward matching.
2Matching
Once your background check is clear, which typically takes about ten days, and your psychological review is complete, we move into the most exciting part of your journey: finding your match.
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Profile Review and Suggestions
We carefully review your completed profile and offer any suggestions that may help speed up the matching process and present you in the best possible light.
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Your Profile Is Shared
Your Intended Parent profile is sent to available surrogates who meet your specific preferences and criteria, giving every match a strong foundation from the start.
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Every Surrogate Is Pre Screened
Every surrogate’s profile has already passed medical qualification review, completed psychological evaluation, and cleared a background check before her profile ever reaches you.
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Mutual Interest Is Confirmed
Once a surrogate who meets your preferences expresses interest in your profile, her profile is presented to you for your own review and consideration.
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A Moderated Conference Call
When all parties indicate genuine interest, we arrange a moderated conference call so you can speak directly, ask questions, and feel out the connection together.
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A Match Is Made
Once both sides feel confident, a match is made. You will establish escrow to cover the costs of bringing your surrogate in for screening, where you will meet her for the first time.
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Egg Donor Match Confirmed, If Applicable
If your journey includes an egg donor, her match is confirmed at this stage as well, and her screening is arranged alongside your surrogate’s.
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You Are Never Pressured Into a Match
Matching is a mutual decision. You always have the right to decline a profile that does not feel right, for any reason, at any point before a match is confirmed.
3Screening
Screening takes place at the clinic of your choice. We are happy to refer you to excellent clinics with strong success rates and an easy working relationship with surrogacy agencies, many of which also offer discounted rates for our families. If you already have frozen embryos, medical screening will only be required for your surrogate.
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Intended Parent Screening
Medical screening for Intended Parents includes infectious disease testing as required by your clinic and applicable regulations.
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Gestational Surrogate Screening
Your surrogate completes thorough medical screening, including infectious disease testing and drug screening, to confirm she is fully prepared for a healthy pregnancy.
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Egg Donor Screening, If Applicable
If your journey includes an egg donor, her screening includes genetic counseling and a psychological assessment alongside her medical evaluation.
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Sperm Sample Collection
Depending on your clinic’s specific protocol, your sperm sample may be collected and frozen at the time of your screening appointment for use later in the medical process.
4Legal
Strong legal protection is the foundation of a secure surrogacy journey. We work only with experienced reproductive attorneys and structure every contract to protect you, your surrogate, and your future child.
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Sign and Return Your Legal Match Sheet
This document covers all financial aspects of your contract and confirms the terms both parties have agreed to move forward with.
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Agency Legal Fee or Direct Attorney Payment
Depending on where your surrogate is located, you will either pay your agency legal contracts fee or pay your attorney directly.
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Sign Your Attorney Retainer
You will engage and retain your own reproductive attorney to represent your interests throughout the legal process.
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Egg Donor Contract, If Applicable
If your journey includes an egg donor, her contract is drafted and signed alongside your surrogacy agreement.
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Contract Drafted and Reviewed
Your surrogacy contract is drafted and reviewed by you alongside your own attorney, ensuring every term reflects your understanding and agreement.
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Independent Review for Your Surrogate
Your surrogate reviews the same contract with her own fully independent attorney, ensuring her interests are separately and fairly represented.
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Signing and Notarizing
Both parties sign and notarize the finalized agreement, making the contract legally binding for every party involved.
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Legal Clearance to the Clinic
Your attorney provides a legal letter of clearance directly to the clinic so that all medical procedures may officially commence.
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Funding Escrow
Escrow is funded in accordance with your contract terms for both your Gestational Surrogate and your Egg Donor, if applicable.
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Pre Birth Order Proceedings
During the second trimester of pregnancy, pre birth order proceedings begin so that your parental rights are formally validated ahead of delivery.
⚖️ Equal Protection, Every Family
Pre Negotiated Attorney Rates
We have pre negotiated rates with excellent reproductive attorneys, helping you avoid the inflated legal costs that many families encounter elsewhere in the country.
Our legal process is designed to be straightforward and protective for every family we work with, including married couples of every sexual orientation, ensuring a clear and equal path to a pre birth order.
Your attorney and your surrogate’s attorney work independently of one another, so every party in the agreement has dedicated, unbiased legal representation from start to finish.
5Medical Process
The medical process will differ depending on the protocol your clinic uses, your surrogate’s previous cycle history if any, and whether you are working with frozen embryos or pursuing a fresh transfer. Your coordinator will personalize this timeline with you directly.
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Your Surrogate Receives a Calendar
The clinic provides your gestational surrogate with a detailed medication and appointment calendar to guide the cycle ahead.
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Your Coordinator Walks You Through It
Your coordinator will call you personally and walk you through the calendar so you fully understand the timeline ahead for your surrogate.
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Medications Begin
Your surrogate and egg donor, if applicable, begin their prescribed medications according to the clinic’s calendar to prepare for the cycle.
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Retrieval and Fertilization
If applicable, your donor’s eggs are retrieved and fertilized, with testing performed as needed to determine embryo quality and suitability.
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The Embryo Transfer
One or two embryos are transferred, depending on your profile and personal preference, and you are warmly invited to attend if you are able.
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Testing and Confirmation
Your surrogate may begin testing at home as early as five days after transfer, with a confirmatory blood test about two weeks later. Let us know if you would prefer she keep early results to herself until that confirmed test.
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Pregnancy Confirmed
Once pregnancy is confirmed, your surrogate begins receiving her compensation, divided into equal payments across the course of the pregnancy.
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Release to Her OB-GYN
Your surrogate is released to the care of her own OB-GYN, and you will receive a signed medical release form granting you direct access to her physician.
Additional Services for Growing Families
We also offer additional support for clients who want extra guidance as they prepare to welcome their baby home.
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Baby Care Classes
Available in person or by video, our baby care classes help first time and experienced parents alike feel confident from day one. Please inquire with your coordinator about scheduling and costs.
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International Services
For clients returning home to other countries after delivery, we offer dedicated support to help you navigate travel, documentation, and the logistics of bringing your baby home internationally.
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Nanny and Night Nurse Support
We can connect you with trusted support services for nannies or night nurses, giving you extra hands and peace of mind during the early weeks at home.
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Cord Blood Banking Referral
If you are interested in preserving your baby’s cord blood, we are happy to provide a referral to a trusted cord blood banking service ahead of delivery.
We had no idea what to expect walking into surrogacy, and Hope Harbor made every single phase feel manageable. Our coordinator called us before every major step so we never felt lost. When our daughter was born, it genuinely felt like the entire team was as overjoyed as we were.
Daniel and Marcus R., Intended Parents
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the entire process take?+
Most first time journeys take between twelve and eighteen months from your initial contact to delivery. Matching speed, clinic scheduling, and embryo readiness all affect the exact timeline. Your coordinator will give you a personalized estimate after your consultation call.
Do we need our own frozen embryos to begin?+
No. Many of our families begin the process before having embryos ready. If you already have frozen embryos, your surrogate will be the only party requiring medical screening, which can shorten this phase considerably.
Can we choose our own fertility clinic?+
Yes. Screening and the medical process take place at the clinic of your choice. We are also happy to refer you to clinics we have strong working relationships with, many of which offer discounted rates for our families.
Will we get to meet our surrogate?+
Yes. After a match is made and escrow is established, you will meet your surrogate in person at her screening appointment. Many families build a warm, lasting relationship that continues well beyond delivery.
What happens if we are not married?+
Single parents and unmarried couples are warmly welcomed at Hope Harbor. Your attorney will walk you through the specific legal steps that apply to your family structure, as the path to securing parental rights can differ slightly depending on your circumstances.
Can we attend the embryo transfer?+
Yes, you are warmly invited to attend the embryo transfer if you are able to travel to the clinic for that appointment. Many parents describe this moment as one of the most meaningful of the entire journey.
How do we receive medical updates during the pregnancy?+
Once your surrogate is released to her OB-GYN, you will receive a signed medical release form giving you direct access to her physician, in addition to regular updates from your coordinator and your surrogate herself.
What if we are returning to another country after the birth?+
We offer dedicated international support services for families returning home after delivery, helping you navigate documentation and travel logistics so you can focus on your new baby.
Trusted Resources
For families who want to read further on the medical, legal, and emotional sides of gestational surrogacy, these organizations offer well respected, independent information.
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American Society for Reproductive Medicine
ASRM publishes medical guidelines and patient education on gestational surrogacy, fertility treatment, and third party reproduction.
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RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association
RESOLVE offers support communities, education, and advocacy for individuals and couples building their families through fertility treatment and surrogacy.
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Men Having Babies / SEEDS
SEEDS provides surrogacy education and financial guidance, with particular support for LGBTQIA+ intended parents pursuing surrogacy.
Ready to Begin Your Journey to Parenthood?
Complete our contact form today and a member of our Executive Program team will reach out personally to walk you through your next steps. Your free consultation call comes with no pressure and no obligation.