A Practical Guide to IVF and Surrogacy in the US or Canada while Saving over $10,000

by Andy Brown

Having a baby through third party assistance including in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogate etc has become more widespread in recent years in both celebrity circle and general public. The growth of agencies specializing in egg/sperm donor matching, surrogate matching and legal contract management has helped many intended parents become parents. However there are many more intended parents hesitant to take the parenting journey due to the complexity of this process and high cost (as much as $150,000+) when using full-service agencies. As a single intended parent from US, Andy Brown ended up pursuing his parenting journey in Canada due to lower overall cost and high quality Canadian healthcare. Along this journey, he attended conferences, joined Facebook groups, read tons of stuff online and offline, and interacted with different agencies, lawyers, surrogates and fertility clinics etc. He was initially told that he could be matched with a surrogate within 3-6 months or sooner, and there would be over 85% chance of IVF success if he used donor eggs and a surrogate. Those rosy assumptions made hime think that it could be a 12-15 month quick journey. However it turned out to be a 26 month bumpy one with ups, downs and surprises. Nevertheless, the journey did have a happy ending that allowed him to welcome his baby boy. Having gone through those ups, downs and surprises, Andy has consolidated his notes with many tips and tricks that he was mostly unaware of when he got started. He wishes that he knew all of them at the beginning of his journey as he would have been able to finish the journey quicker and spent less money as well. Hence he is writing this book to share those tips and tricks applicable in both US and Canada with intended parent(s) in the hope to help them save money and enjoy a smoother process. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 of the book with 6 chapters focuses on legal and practical aspects of an IVF/surrogacy journey, evaluation of agencies, clarification on Day 5 embryo quality with related genetic screening, tips and tricks in embryo transfer and pregnancy process, how to avoid potential pregnancy complications, and discussion for international intended parent(s) on obtaining baby's birth certificate, passport and consular report of birth abroad. Part 2 of the book with 7 chapters discusses in greater detail about the budgeting needs and options in an IVF/surrogacy process, various tips and tricks to achieve savings of at least $10,000 whether in the US or Canada, a few aggressively priced IVF fertility clinics in the US, how to go independent with surrogate match to save even more as well as special saving programs for gay intended parent(s). Part 3 of the book has just one chapter to emphasize on essential preparations for a newborn baby. Finally, there is also a Resources section at the end of this book. It is sincerely hoped that any intended parents, gay or straight, who are planning to use IVF and/or gestational surrogate will be better educated and save a lot of money on their parenting journey!

93 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2019