Frequently Asked Questions

 

How long has Kindred Surrogacy been in business?

 

Kindred Surrogacy was established in 2017 by former intended mother, Joy Zhu, and her gestational surrogate, Chelsee Heu. Although we are a newer agency, we are not new to surrogacy. Many of our employees have a personal connection to surrogacy, each having experience as an intended parent or gestational surrogate.

 

Collectively, we have over 20 years experience, personally and professionally, in surrogacy and other related fields.

 

 

 

Why choose Kindred Surrogacy?

 

We truly believe that there is no other surrogacy program quite like ours.

 

We strive to provide exceptional service and personalized support to the intended parents and gestational surrogates. Intended parents have entrusted their surrogate with the task of carrying their child. They may not always be able to do a face-to-face meeting with their selected surrogate, but we can. We meet every surrogate applicant in person, carefully assessing each applicant’s motivations, background and personality before accepting her into our program.

 

We continue to meet with your surrogate as she moves along in the process, fostering a comfortable relationship with your surrogate, and in turn, protecting your relationship with her.

 

Kindred focuses on providing hands-on, managed surrogacy. Working with surrogates local to us allows our team to attend appointments. We accompany the surrogate to OB appointments and ultrasound appointments during her pregnancy. The purpose of this is two-fold: first, to support the surrogate, and second, to connect with her medical providers so we can advocate for the surrogate and for your baby.

 

As an agency, we have already built relationships with local doctors and local hospitals, allowing us to work directly to make sure that you, your surrogate and most importantly, your child receives the best care available.

 

 

 

What are the fees for your services?

 

Our agency fee as of 2024 is $40,000 USD.

We offer discounts for active military and law enforcement.

 

 

 

At what points are the fees due?

 

Our agency fee is paid in three (4) installments:

(1)  $10,000 due upon confirmation of a match

(2) $10,000 due upon medical clearance from your IVF physician

(3) $10,000 due upon execution of the gestational surrogacy agreement

      (a legal contract between the intended parents and the surrogate)

(4) $10,000 due upon confirmation of the pregnancy by ultrasound

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What is your refund policy?

 

Our fees are non-refundable. 

 

 

 

Who will be our main point of contact within the agency?

 

As an intended parent, your main point of contact will be the agency director, Chelsee. Once you are matched, your case will be assigned to a dedicated case manager who will help provide updates and handle other logistics of the case. However, you will continue to work with Chelsee for the duration of your surrogacy.

 

 

 

Is the agency available 24/7 or only during business hours?

 

Our normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Pacific Standard Time. We have an after-hours emergency representative available for all our matched surrogates and intended parents.

 

 

 

How does the matching process work?

 

After you submit your application, you will be scheduled for a matching consultation. Our team will review your matching preferences and provide you with a timeline for matching. 

 

Once a potential match has been identified, we will share her profile with you, and yours with her. If both parties choose to move forward with the match, our team will facilitate a review of the surrogate’s medical records by your fertility clinic to determine her medical suitability to move forward in the process. 

 

We believe it is the best practice to have your clinic issue a preliminary approval of the surrogate based on her medical records before a match meeting is scheduled. 

 

From there, we will coordinate a video match call between all parties to determine match compatibility. The match meeting serves as a way to introduce the surrogate couple to the intended parents. Important topics related to surrogacy will also be discussed. Journey expectations, communication preferences, number of embryos to be transferred, termination and fetal reduction will be discussed during the match meeting. 

 

Following the match meeting, each party is given 24 hours to decide if they would like to proceed with the match. If both agree, the match will be confirmed, and our first agency fee installment will be due.

 

 

 

What kind of time frame can be expected for matching?

 

For most intended parents, we expect it will take approximately 6-12 months to find a match. 

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What does the surrogate medical screening process entail?

 

The surrogate will meet your chosen IVF physician. She will have a uterine exam, complete physical, lab work, and a consultation with a third-party nurse coordinator to review the IVF process. She will also have a psychological evaluation with a mental health professional. 

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Will you provide referrals to other professionals services?

 

Yes. We have built relationships with other surrogacy professionals, including fertility clinics, assisted reproductive technology (ART) attorneys, mental health professionals, surrogacy insurance brokers, surrogacy escrow agents, and any other professionals service you may need during your path to parenthood via surrogacy. 

 

 

 

Are we allowed to choose the professionals we work with?

 

You are welcomed to choose the professionals you work with during your surrogacy, with the only requirement being that these professionals have experience in assisted reproductive technology (ART). 

 

 

 

Do you hold trust/escrow for surrogacy funds?

 

No, we do not hold any client funds. State law prohibits non-attorney surrogacy services from holding any surrogacy escrow funds. We work with various third-party escrow providers.