Guide to Independent Surrogacy Journey in Mexico

Mexico is becoming a popular destination for surrogacy for many intended parents around the world. It is a democratic country that is politically stable, and it protects the rights of international intended parents to access surrogacy. Most intended parents choose to work with an agency. A surrogacy agency in Mexico will take care of most of aspects of surrogacy including arranging egg or sperm donation, introducing you to a fertility clinic, finding a surrogate, screening and managing your surrogate, arranging for medical procedures such as IVF and embryo transfers, taking care of the surrogate during pregnancy, helping you with the birth of your child, and helping you with the legal processes.

A small minority of intended parents take on an independent journey (or “indy journey”). This is a surrogacy journey where an intended parent arranges everything from medical procedures with a fertility clinic to hiring lawyers on their own, without the aid of an agency. Such an independent journey is certainly harder than an agency-assisted journey especially for intended parents who don’t reside in Mexico and don’t speak Spanish. An independent journey isn’t for every intended parent, and for some intended parents who don’t have the time or who don’t know much about surrogacy in Mexico, I would never recommend an independent journey to them. However, if done correctly, an independent journey has its unique advantages.

Comparing an agency-assisted journey and an independent journey

An agency-assisted journey requires minimal intervention from the intended parent. An intended parent will be assigned a coordinator who will be the point of contact for the intended parent. Since the agency arranges for pretty much everything, an intended parent has to do what they are told to do in many cases, such as going to Mexico for sperm deposit, picking out an egg donor, arranging for shipment of their embryos from their own fertility clinic to Mexico, filling out forms, and talking to the surrogate. Since the agency is an expert in surrogacy process in Mexico, an intended parent can rely on the agency to take care of his or her needs. An agency would be able to inform the intended parent what each step means and what the intended parent should do.

In an independent journey, an intended parent doesn’t have the same luxury. He or she must be well-informed about surrogacy process in Mexico and must make contact with various professionals themselves. They have to find professionals such as fertility doctors and lawyers, make contact with them, and arrange for their services. Take a look at the following chart to see the difference between these two types of journeys.

What are the advantages of independent surrogacy journey in Mexico?

As you can see above, doing an independent journey involves a lot more work than just letting a surrogacy agency do all the work for you. So, are there any advantages in doing everything yourself? Yes, there are several distinct advantages in an independent journey.

You have more control

Because you manage the entire surrogacy journey, you have the full control over which professional to use and what kind of services you want to purchase. For example, some agencies allow you to choose from their clinic or clinics that they have a contract with. If you want to go with a certain clinic that the agency doesn’t have a relationship with, you might be barred from doing so.

Many agencies also like to do things their way; for example, some agencies don’t purchase any health insurance for their surrogates because of the 3 to 4 months wait time necessary before an embryo transfer can take place. You might disagree with that but you don’t have a choice. Or, you might want to do a surrogacy journey in a state that your agency doesn’t operate in. Or, the agency might not allow you to communicate with your surrogate during her pregnancy even though you want to.

In an independent journey, you get to choose who you hire, what services you want to get, where you want to do surrogacy in, and where you want the birth to take place.

You save money

Agencies obviously charge an agency fee because they are helping you with the whole process. Agency fees can range between $10,000 USD to $20,000 USD. Many intended parents find agency fees worthwhile because they don’t know how to manage a surrogacy journey or don’t have the necessary connection in Mexico. Nevertheless, if you do an independent journey, you can save this amount of money (and possibly more, as described below).

You have more financial transparency

Many agencies offer package deals. A package deal contains most services that an intended parent need in their surrogacy journey, such as medical and legal services, surrogate coordination, and consulting. While this is convenient, it decreases financial transparency. Because you pay one price to an agency, you wouldn’t know how much the “true cost” of services such as medical services and legal services are. For example, if an agency charges $5,000 USD per embryo transfer, how do you know if that is the cost of embryo transfer charged by the clinic? How do you know if the agency is not “inflating” the actual medical cost charged by the clinic?

In an independent journey, you pay the service providers directly, so you’ll see what the real service costs are. (Note, sometimes, a service provider you employ, such as a fertility clinic, may outsource some services to a subcontractor, such as an egg donor agency. In this case, you may not know the cost of the subcontracted service.)

You have a direct line of communication to service providers

In an agency journey, most of communications might be through your agency coordinator. If you want to talk to the fertility doctor, you have to ask your coordinator to set up an appointment. If you want to ask a legal question, you may have to ask the coordinator, who will ask the lawyer, then tell you the answer. While some agencies allow you to directly contact their service providers, other agencies encourage you to ask your coordinator questions; then, your coordinator would ask the service provider and relay the answer to you. Some intended parents dislike such an extra layer of communication because they may fear nuances are lost and messages are miscommunicated as their coordinator relays the message. Some agencies even disallow intended parents from contacting the clinic directly but don’t update the intended parents frequently or transparently. For example, some intended parents have reported that their agency don’t provide any medical reports or charts. They are simply told that their embryo transfer didn’t work or was postponed without any reasons why that happened.

You have more control over your payments or money

Many agencies require intended parents to pay a substantial portion of their surrogacy program cost in the beginning stages of their surrogacy journey. For example, if the program cost is $90,000 USD, an agency might ask you to pay $40,000 right after you do your sperm deposit. If you do an independent journey with a clinic, you may be able to pay on a per-service basis. This means you pay for a service such as IVF when the service is performed. Some intended parents like to pay for individual services this way so that they can keep the money for future services in their own pockets.

What are the disadvantages of independent surrogacy journey in Mexico?

There are obvious disadvantages to doing an independent journey for surrogacy in Mexico. Independent journey is definitely not for everyone.

• If you don’t know reliable service providers and professionals in Mexico, it is hard to successfully complete an independent journey. Agencies have pre-existing relationships with various service providers in Mexico. Most of the time, they trust these service providers because they have worked with them and they know that they can get the job done.
• Finding a reliable service provider is hard. There are many fertility clinics and fertility lawyers in Mexico. But, how do you know which one will service intended parents in an independent journey? Which ones are good and which ones are bad? Which ones are just scammers? Intended parents need to find service providers such as surrogate coordinators, fertility clinics, and lawyers specializing in surrogacy. They also need to vet them. However, most intended parents who are not in Mexico have a hard time finding and vetting these professionals.
• Intended parents might need to communicate in Spanish with the service providers or their surrogate. Most intended parents don’t speak Spanish, so they might have a hard time communicating in Spanish or reading Spanish documents.
• There is a lot more work involved in an independent journey. This is because an intended parent has to find different service providers and arrange services with them. They have to coordinate their activities since some services are time-sensitive and must occur at the right time. Also, they might have to facilitate communication between different professionals such as letting the lawyer know what the doctor said.

How should I do an independent journey in Mexico?

1) Research everything about surrogacy in Mexico

The first step is understand the surrogacy process in Mexico inside out. You have to research what’s involved in each step of the journey and what kind of service professionals you need in each step. You have to research about your exit process so that you can hire the right kind of lawyer.

Because there is no agency to help you, you have to have in-depth knowledge about surrogacy in Mexico. Reading various articles in this website is a good idea to learn the process. Try to also make friends with people who have completed a surrogacy journey in Mexico. When you have a question, they might be able to help you.

2) Find the right service providers for your journey

This is probably the hardest step for a new intended parent embarking on an independent journey in Mexico, especially if they don’t speak Spanish. It is not easy to find Mexican service providers that specialize in surrogacy, and it’s even harder to make sure they are reputable and experienced. If you don’t speak Spanish, you’ll have to find service providers that speak English.

In general, you’ll need the following types of service professionals in your journey.

Surrogate Coordinator

A surrogate coordinator can find a qualified surrogate for you. He or she can also guide the surrogate in her surrogacy process such as medical screening with the clinic, going to the clinic for medical procedures, and setting appointments for pre-natal care during pregnancy. In addition, a surrogate coordinator can act as an interpreter when you talk to a surrogate who speaks only Spanish.

It is not enough to just find a woman who is willing to be a surrogate. A potential surrogate should undergo a rigorous screening process in order to make sure she is fit to be a surrogate. If screening is not done properly, there will be a higher risk that surrogacy will end in failure. Thus, a surrogate coordinator must be experienced and knowledgeable in screening and managing surrogates. Of course, you can also find your own surrogate, but you’ll still need a professional to screen the surrogate.

Psychologist

A qualified psychologist can perform psychological screening for a potential surrogate to make sure she is mentally fit for surrogacy. A psychologist should have a minimum Masters degree in psychology or counseling from a reputable university. A psychologist can also provide counseling services and emotional support for your surrogate during pregnancy. Sometimes, a psychologist can also act as a surrogate coordinator.

Fertility Clinic / Fertility Doctor

A fertility clinic performs medical tests, egg retrieval, IVF, endometrial preparation for embryo transfer, embryo transfer, and other necessary medical tasks for you or your surrogate. Some fertility clinics don’t accept patients who are doing surrogacy without an agency representation, but some do. You have to find a reputable fertility clinic who takes in independent surrogacy cases.

Egg Donation Agency

If you require egg donation, you’ll have to find an egg donation agency. An egg donation agency provides your with egg donor profiles. After you choose an egg donor, she will be referred to the fertility clinic that you have chosen to undergo egg retrieval process. You may also choose to purchase frozen eggs from an frozen egg bank. Sometimes, a fertility clinic works with an egg donation agency and can refer you to the egg donation agency. Sometimes, a fertility clinic has its own egg donors that you can choose from. Note that in Mexico, egg donors should be anonymous, so you cannot find your own egg donors.

Cryoshipper

A cryoshipper is a shipping company that specializes in shipping biological samples such as embryos across border. It is not a regular shipping company because transportation of biological specimen requires special transportation techniques. If you have embryos already made in your home country, you’ll have to find a reputable cryoshipper to ship the embryos to the fertility clinic in Mexico.

Importing biological materials to Mexico requires a COFEPRIS permit. Your fertility clinic or the cryoshipper may be able to help you get one, or they might refer you to a customs broker in Mexico who will charge you money to obtain a COFEPRIS permit.

Law Firm / Lawyer

A lawyer specializing in surrogacy cases is needed to help you draft surrogacy contract between you and your surrogate. You may also need the help of a lawyer in registering the birth of your child and/or to perform Amparo trial. The lawyer you choose must be experienced in handling surrogacy cases as they are quite different from family law or other areas of practice.

Insurance Agent / Insurance Company

You will need to purchase a health and/or life insurance for your surrogate to protect against health risks during pregnancy. Major insurance companies in Mexico provide health insurance for women (not surrogates), but how to apply for one for your surrogate is nuanced. You’ll have to find an insurance broker knowledgeable in this area or solicit the help of your fertility clinic or surrogate coordinator in Mexico.

Another type of insurance you may want to purchase is a newborn insurance, also known as NICU insurance. This insurance covers the risk that your newborn requires neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). NICU in Mexico costs about $1,000 to $2,000 USD a day. A 10-day stay in a NICU may cost you up to $20,000 USD. To mitigate this risk, an intended parent can purchase an NICU insurance that has a surrogacy clause. Majority of insurance companies in Mexico don’t cover newborns born through surrogacy, so you might need the help of an insurance broker, your fertility clinic, or your surrogate coordinator.

OBG/YN

An OBG/YN is a doctor who specializes in pre-natal care and delivery of a baby. Usually, an OBG/YN works in a hospital, but sometimes, the same fertility doctor may act as an OBG/YN once your surrogate becomes pregnant.

Private Driver

When your surrogate is pregnant, it will be difficult for her to go to medical appointments by public transportation. You might need to arrange a private driver or a taxi service for your surrogate.

3) Be on top of everything

You have to be a bit of control-freak to be successful at an independent journey. After you hire your team of service providers, stay on top of communication with them and be aware of how things are progressing. Ask for an update when you think a process is taking too long.

In addition, support of other intended parents is crucial in an independent journey, especially if it is your first one. Other intended parents, who might be in an agency journey or independent journey, can offer insight, tips, and emotional support.

Is an independent journey right for me?

An independent journey is not for everyone. In fact, for a majority of intended parents, an agency journey might be a better choice. If you want to embark on an independent journey in Mexico for your surrogacy needs, consider the following points.

• You should be very familiar with surrogacy process in Mexico. You should be informed about the legality of surrogacy in Mexico and in the state you want to do surrogacy in, medical and legal processes involved in surrogacy, and your own exit process.
• You should know which service providers are legitimate. Or, you should be able to find reputable service providers in Mexico and vet them rigorously. Working with the right professionals is really important if you don’t speak Spanish fluently or if you don’t reside in Mexico. Some doctors and lawyers are more competent than others.
• You should have time to manage an independent journey. Because there is no agency to facilitate communication between you and the service providers or between the service providers themselves, you’ll have to spend time talking to each service provider.

If you can successfully manage an independent journey, you may be able to save tens of thousands of dollars and enjoy much more control and transparency in your surrogacy journey.