Frequently Asked Questions
about Surrogacy in Canada
CFC does not discriminate on the basis of medical need, sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. We celebrate diversity and believe there should be no barriers between you and your dream of having a child.
CFC seeks healthy candidates who do not have medical and social histories that make them unacceptable. Our surrogates go through an extensive evaluation process. We conduct backgrounds checks and ensure they have adequate support from family and friends.
CFC only works with gestational surrogates. The physical traits or characteristics of a surrogate are not of importance, as it won’t be the surrogate’s egg that is being used to create embryos. We work diligently to find surrogates that possess similar values and expectations of the process to ensure that all goes smoothly between both parties.
A gestational surrogate, which is the most common type of surrogacy, is not genetically related to the child. The egg is retrieved from the intended mother or an egg donor, fertilized with the prospective father’s sperm or sperm donor, and then transferred to the surrogate through in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
A genetic or traditional surrogate also donates the egg and therefore has a biological link to the child. In a traditional surrogacy, the surrogate is inseminated (artificially) with the intended father’s sperm.
Canadian Fertility Consulting only works with gestational surrogates.
No home study is required. Health Canada and fertility clinics require the intended parents, surrogate and the surrogate’s spouse/partner (if applicable) to be medically and psychologically screened.
Yes. CFC works with fertility clinics across Canada and the USA.
CFC’s consulting fees are due immediately at introduction/match confirmation. Reimbursement funds for your surrogate’s expenses are payable on a schedule. Please complete our quickstart form to receive our welcome package to review our fees, anticipated expenses and when funds are due.
CFC will refer you to lawyers in Canada to ensure your gestational surrogacy agreement respects Canadian legislation.
A reimbursement account is established for you at the time you deposit your consulting fees and initial reimbursement account funds. Reimbursements will begin in accordance with your gestational surrogacy agreement. We will manage this account accordingly and provide you with monthly statements of its activity.
Initial contact with your surrogate, as well as drafting and signing your gestational surrogacy agreement may be done from abroad. You will need to travel to Canada once for treatments, and again when your surrogate is ready to deliver. However, visits throughout the pregnancy would be welcomed by your surrogate.
The range of time that you will have to stay in Canada varies depending on the province that the surrogate delivers in. If your surrogate resides in Ontario, you will be required to stay for three weeks post-birth, in order to have all your documentation completed and to have a passport issued so you can travel home.
Your surrogate will deliver your baby at a hospital that is local to where they live. Typically, the hospital and obstetrician/midwife they choose are the same as they were for their own children. However, these are the issues that are discussed during the gestational surrogacy agreement phase of the process.
The level of interaction between the surrogate and intended parents is a personal preference. You will need to decide how much contact you are comfortable with, as well as consider how much interaction your surrogate expects. It is important that intended parents and the surrogate discuss what would be a desirable level of contact throughout the pregnancy and beyond.
The number of embryo transfers the surrogate is willing to do is part of the negotiated terms in the gestational surrogacy agreement. It is important to remember that as passionately as you want a child, your surrogate is just as hopeful of fulfilling that dream for you. If you have gone through the agreed-upon amount of transfers with your surrogate without achieving pregnancy, CFC will help you find another surrogate. After three unsuccessful transfers, if you wish to proceed with CFC’s services (including but not limited to pre-screening a new surrogate and making the arrangements for an introduction), a new agreement and full consulting fee will be required.
