Becoming a Surrogate: What are the Four Stages in the IVF Process?

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is an important part of the process of becoming a surrogate. If you are considering becoming a surrogate or an intended parent, you probably have many questions about the IVF process. Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Nevada is here to break down the IVF process into four stages.

Stage 1: Egg and Sperm Retrieval

Egg and sperm must be retrieved from either the intended parents or donors. If the egg is being retrieved from an intended mother, she will need to be given hormonal treatment in order to undergo ovarian stimulation to produce eggs.

The eggs are retrieved through a minor procedure in which the woman is sedated, and the eggs are retrieved. More than one egg is usually retrieved to ensure success. An egg donor can also be used if the intended mother struggles with infertility or for single intended parents or LGBT couples.

Sperm can be collected from the intended father or a donor depending on the intended parents’ needs.

Stage 2: Fertilization

The egg is then fertilized by the sperm in the lab. The healthiest sperm is positioned closest to the egg to ensure penetration. Sometimes, other technologies need to be used to ensure fertilization, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in which the sperm is directly injected into the egg. Once the egg is fertilized, an embryo is formed. The embryo will be cultured in the lab for several days, and its development will be monitored.

Stage 3: Embryonic Transfer

Once the embryo is ready, it will be transferred into the surrogate mother’s uterus. At this point, the surrogate mother has taken fertility medication to prepare her body for pregnancy. The embryonic transfer is a quick and painless procedure in which the embryo (in some cases more than one embryo) is placed into the uterus.

Stage 4: Pregnancy Test

After several days, a pregnancy test will be conducted to see if the transfer was successful. Sometimes the IVF process needs to be repeated more than once. However, once the surrogate mother is pregnant, the IVF process is successful. Both the intended parents and the surrogate mother can carry on with their surrogacy journey, attending checkups and monitoring the health of the surrogate and the baby through birth.

What are the Four Stages of IVF?

IVF can seem like a complex and confusing medical procedure, but simply breaking the process down into four simplified steps can help you better understand this important aspect of the gestational surrogacy process. Whether you are thinking about becoming an intended parent or a surrogate mother, researching and learning more about surrogacy and IVF, from egg and sperm retrieval to pregnancy, can help you decide if surrogacy is right for you.

Ready to learn more?

Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Nevada has been providing adoption and surrogacy services across Nevada since 2012. You can also call us to speak to someone now. Contact Us 24/7: 855-940-4673 (Toll-Free) | 702-474-4673 (Las Vegas) | 775-825-4673 (Reno) | 775-738-4673 (Elko) | 775-884-4673 (Carson City).

Hunter Frederick is a graduate of Siena College with a degree in English and a Theatre Certificate. She is the co-author of the virtual reality play, Paneless, along with the play, the Little Vagabond, based on William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience. She is also the co-author of a historical play, Yours, for the Oppressed, based on the lives of Albany Abolitionists, Harriet and Stephen Myers, who toured Underground Railroad Sites of New York State.