Surrogacy guide

Your guide to surrogacy in Ukraine

The purpose of surrogacy is to make your dream of a child come true and take the baby home! Each story is unique, depends on the needs of intended parents, and lasts an average of 12-16 months.
At first, the whole process seems to be extremely complicated, but if you analyze this step-by-step guide, everything becomes consistent and clear.

Step I. Consultation

At the first stage, intended parents apply to Ukrcom for consultation by e-mail and / or videoconference about the types of packages and required documents.
Make sure you can provide scanned copies of the following documents:

Step II. Choosing a package

Transfer of frozen embryos (FET)

Surrogacy program with own eggs

Surrogacy program with donor eggs or donor sperm

Unlimited
program

Step III. Surrogate mother matching

Surrogate mother matching is one of the most important stages of surrogacy, because in the end she is the woman who will give birth to your future baby.
The surrogate mothers offered by Ukrcom are married or unmarried, mentally and physically healthy women between the ages of 18 and 40 who have at least one child of their own.
Our surrogate mothers are subject to a complete medical, psychological and legal examination.
Everyone who wants to participate in the surrogacy program make tests for infections, drugs, and undergo various examinations.

In addition to the medical examination, we analyze the motivation of women who want to become surrogate mothers, we conduct their psychological assessment, study the background: their living and working conditions, education, financial status, eating habits, the attitude of their relatives to surrogacy, the attitude of surrogate mothers to such possible aspects of surrogacy as multiple pregnancy, embryo reduction, fetal malformations, abortion, etc.
The surrogate mother and her stimulation last 4-8 weeks, as all procedures and tests must be done on a specific day of her period.

Surrogate mother matching

Medical examination

Psychological examination

Scheduling of the medical procedures

Step IV. Preparation for IVF

After choosing the package, matching the SM (and the donor), after settling all the legal details, about 14-days-stimulation of the oocyte donor or the patient begins. Then the obtained eggs are going to be fertilized with sperm, the maturation of embryos lasts 3-5 days. Please note that the use of both donor sperm and donor egg is prohibited in Ukraine, as the child must have a genetic link to at least one of the potential parents after birth.
At the request of the parents, the embryos can be tested for chromosomal abnormalities. It is recommended to test for 24 chromosomes (PGD24).

Surrogate mothers are prescribed medications that prepare her endometrium and make it perfect embryo transfer. Hormones must also come to “combat readiness”, so their production is stimulated too.

Fertilization of eggs, embryo maturation

Testing for chromosomal abnormalities

Stimulation of the surrogate mother

Step V. Embryo transfer

The date of embryo transfer determines a fertility specialist depending on several factors. It is approximately the 21st day of the surrogate mother’s menstrual period. Before the embryo transfer, we agree with you the preferences and number of the embryos to be transferred.
Embryo transfer is a quick procedure that lasts about 30 minutes, does not require anesthesia and a long-stay in the clinic. With the consent of all program parties, no more than two embryos can be transferred, as multiple pregnancy has many risks.
After transfer the fertility specialist prescribes hormonal support, as usually by any IVF protocol.

To determine if SM is pregnant is possible on the 12th-14th day after transfer by doing the blood hCG test. Ultrasound can be performed approximately on the 28th day after transfer – earlier ultrasound is non-informative.

Determination of the transfer date

Embryo
transfer

Hormonal support

HGC-test and ultrasound

Step VI. Pregnancy

Screenings at the 12th and 18th weeks of pregnancy are important to ensure that the fetus is developing without abnormalities. Throughout 9 months of pregnancy, we monitor all possible aspects of pregnancy and provide 24/7 support to both surrogate mothers and intended parents.

Monitoring of pregnancy

Screenings

24/7 support

Step VII. Parenthood

We recommend the intended parents to come to Kyiv 2 weeks before the estimated due date, in case of premature birth. Remember that on the day of birth, the following items for the baby should be available: diapers, all in ones (and bodysuits), baby hats, socks, scratch mitts, a pramsuit, a blanket, a towel, several muslin cotton swaddle blankets and receiving blankets, glass bottle for eating 150ml, your formula, thermometer, soap, wet wipes, cotton pads, a baby pacifier, octenisept, sudocream, if possible, sterilizer (electric steam), sling.

The baby can be discharged from the maternity hospital on the 3rd or 5th day depending on whether the birth was natural or it was a cesarean section.
Then we prepare the necessary documents to get a baby’s birth certificate and assist you in preparing other documents required to get a baby’s travel document. Remember that each embassy works in its own mode, so the period of your stay in Ukraine depends entirely on the workload of your embassy.

Collecting the things for baby

Coming to Ukraine

Discharging of the baby

Getting travel documents for the baby