The Alcea model is very different from the average agency model. Whereas most agencies require a large down payment just to enter a waiting queue that can last a year or more, Alcea has created something much more client-friendly and ethical.
We ONLY open up as many Intended Parent (IP) Consults as we have surrogates who have reached a key milestone in our robust screening process. This approach allows us to keep our match times under 90 days.
If you don’t see any available consultations — or only ones 20–50 days out — please email Lauryn@alceasurrogacy.com She can place you on our cancellation list or potentially find an earlier appointment.
Believe us, it’s worth the wait!
As you begin your exciting and sometimes scary leap into gestational surrogacy, research and education should be a non-negotiable as you prepare for this incredibly intimate and complex process. There are hundreds of third-party professionals, some of whom are unethical and are looking to extract as much money as possible from intended parents without providing their promised services. Thankfully, with good media literacy, there are multiple resources available via subject matter experts, reliable internet sources like ASRM, SEEDS, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), as well as other vetted social media sources, including previous gestational surrogates and intended parents willing to share their personal experiences.
Trustworthy information, preparation, patience, and a strong support system are non-negotiable for any intended parent considering a surrogacy journey. The quickest route is almost never the most ethical route; surrogacy deserves intention, diligence, commitment, and preparedness.
If there is pressure to sign quickly or pay before receiving detailed information, it is essential to be cautious. Vague answers about screening, match timelines, or fees. No straightforward dispute resolution process. Minimal post-birth support. All red flags
For a gestational surrogacy journey, you will need to choose:
All of these are very important partners who need to be vetted, interviewed, and verified as subject matter experts and proven to be reputable entities able to do business legally. They will be your team throughout one of the most intimate and life-changing experiences of your life.
The meeting is a pivotal moment where both parties meet (virtually or in person) to ensure mutual alignment. It is facilitated by a licensed mental health professional—someone with direct experience in surrogacy—alongside the agency’s matching team.
This process is designed to make sure the surrogate is physically healthy, emotionally stable, and capable of safely carrying a pregnancy. Alcea will provide the demographics of all parties to the IVF clinic, who will reach out to the surrogate to confirm basic information, blackout dates, confirm provider information, and determine when her next cycle will arrive to plan in-person medical screening tentatively.
The legal phase is one of the most meaningful milestones in your surrogacy journey. During this stage, we make sure that both you and your surrogate feel fully supported, protected, and clear on what to expect moving forward. While it may sound formal, this process is really about creating peace of mind—so you can focus on the joy and anticipation of the journey ahead.
The legal phase sets the foundation for the entire journey. A written agreement provides clarity for everyone, removing uncertainty and helping all parties feel secure. It ensures your rights as Intended Parents are protected while honoring your surrogate’s needs and well-being. Most importantly, it allows you to move into the medical stage with confidence, knowing that everything has been carefully and thoughtfully put in place.
With the legal foundation in place, you can step into the next stage of your journey with clarity, confidence, and excitement for what’s to come.
Once your Gestational Surrogacy Agreement is signed and escrow is funded, your journey takes an exciting step forward into the cycling stage. This is when your surrogate begins preparing her body for the embryo transfer with the guidance of your fertility clinic. It’s a time filled with anticipation, careful preparation, and lots of support from the Alcea team.
In the weeks leading up to transfer, your surrogate will have several monitoring appointments. These include ultrasounds to check that her uterine lining is growing just as it should, and bloodwork to measure hormone levels. These regular check-ins help the clinic determine when her body is perfectly ready for transfer.
Why this matters: Every detail is carefully tracked to ensure the best possible timing for embryo transfer, giving your journey the strongest chance for success.
Your surrogate will also begin a medication protocol designed to prepare her body to welcome and support an embryo. These may include estrogen to build a healthy lining, progesterone to support implantation, and other medications depending on the clinic’s plan. Medications can come in different forms—pills, patches, or sometimes injections—and your surrogate will be guided closely through the process.
Why this matters: IVF relies on precise timing, and these medications create the most supportive environment possible for your embryo to thrive.
As monitoring continues, the clinic will confirm when your surrogate’s body is ready for transfer and set the official date. If travel is required, both your surrogate’s Case Manager and your Case Manager at Alcea will coordinate logistics to ensure everything is smooth, safe, and stress-free. You’ll also receive regular updates so you always know what’s happening next.
Why this matters: Transfer day is one of the most anticipated milestones in your journey. Careful preparation and seamless planning help make this moment both exciting and reassuring.
The big day is here! The embryo transfer itself is a quick and gentle procedure for your surrogate. After a short rest at the clinic, she’ll head home (or back to her hotel if travel was needed), following the doctor’s guidance for light activity. You’ll be updated once the transfer is complete and given the date for the first pregnancy blood test—usually about 10 days later.
Why this matters: This is the moment your journey shifts from preparation to possibility. Transfer day is full of hope and meaning, bringing you one step closer to the family you’ve been dreaming of.
From this point forward, every step is filled with hope, preparation, and the joyful anticipation of welcoming your baby.
The embryo transfer is one of the most meaningful moments in your surrogacy journey—a hopeful step filled with anticipation, love, and the dream of what’s to come. The weeks that follow are full of important milestones, each one moving you closer to the joy of welcoming your baby. At Alcea, we’ll be right by your side, celebrating the highs and offering steady support through every emotion along the way.
About 9–14 days after transfer, your surrogate will have her first pregnancy blood test, called a beta. A second test follows a few days later to confirm that the hormone levels are rising as expected. Sometimes additional betas are ordered, simply to give extra reassurance. These “beta days” can be some of the most emotional in the journey—full of both hope and nerves—and we’ll be with you every step of the way.
Why this matters: Beta results are often the very first confirmation that your journey is moving forward, giving a first glimpse of hope that your dreams are becoming reality.
If the beta results are reassuring, the next big milestone comes around 6–7 weeks: the heartbeat ultrasound. This is often one of the most moving moments for Intended Parents, when you may see or hear your baby’s heartbeat for the very first time. It’s the first glimpse of the life you’ve been waiting for, and a moment many families never forget.
Why this matters: That tiny heartbeat is the earliest sign of your growing baby—it brings both comfort and joy, helping you feel more connected to the pregnancy and your future child.
A week or two later, most clinics schedule one more ultrasound to confirm that the pregnancy is progressing smoothly. This scan often brings an extra sense of comfort, providing steady reassurance before moving from fertility care into regular pregnancy care.
Why this matters: This final scan is a chance to exhale, showing steady progress before transitioning care, and offering peace of mind that your baby is continuing to grow as hoped.
By about 8–12 weeks, your surrogate will begin tapering off the medications that supported her body through IVF. This transition is guided carefully by the clinic and marks a powerful shift—your surrogate’s body is now fully sustaining the pregnancy naturally.
Why this matters: Though less visible than ultrasounds, this milestone is deeply meaningful—it symbolizes that the pregnancy is thriving on its own, moving forward without extra medical support.
Around 10–12 weeks, your surrogate will “graduate” from the fertility clinic and begin routine care with her OB. This step is often celebrated as a joyful milestone—it represents moving from the intense, medical focus of IVF into the steady rhythm of a growing pregnancy. It’s also one big step closer to the day you finally meet your baby.
Why this matters: Graduation marks a shift from the hope of treatment to the reality of pregnancy—a joyful sign that you’re on your way to parenthood.
Once your surrogate “graduates” from the fertility clinic, her care transitions to a regular obstetrician (OB), just like any other pregnancy. From this point on, the journey follows the traditional schedule of appointments, check-ins, and ultrasounds. For many Intended Parents, this stage is when everything begins to feel wonderfully real—each milestone bringing you closer to meeting your baby.
Every pregnancy is unique, so timing may vary, but here’s a general sense of what to expect throughout each trimester.
The early weeks are about establishing a healthy foundation. Around 10–12 weeks, your surrogate will have her first OB appointment, which includes a full exam, bloodwork, and an ultrasound. You may also choose to move forward with genetic screenings, such as the Nuchal Translucency scan or NIPT (done between weeks 11–13). These are optional but can offer valuable reassurance about your baby’s health.
Often called the “golden trimester,” this is when the pregnancy tends to feel more comfortable for your surrogate and more exciting for you. OB visits happen about once a month, and you’ll start receiving more detailed updates about your baby’s growth. Around 20–22 weeks comes the much-anticipated anatomy ultrasound—a big milestone where your baby’s development is carefully checked and you may even see some incredible images. This is the stage when many Intended Parents feel the connection deepen as they watch their baby grow.
The final stretch! Around 28 weeks, your surrogate will have glucose testing and lab work, and OB visits will increase to every two weeks. Around 32 weeks, another growth scan may be done to check on your baby’s progress. By 36 weeks, weekly appointments begin, along with routine checks like the Group B Strep test. From 37 weeks onward, it’s officially “baby watch” time—whether your little one arrives right on schedule or with the help of an induction or C-section, this is the stage where preparation shifts into excitement. Many parents use this time to finalize travel plans, pack bags, and get ready for that unforgettable moment of meeting their child.
Alongside the medical milestones of pregnancy, there’s an important legal step that ensures you are recognized as your baby’s parents at birth: the Pre-Birth Order (PBO).
Because surrogacy law varies by state, the exact process and timeline may differ depending on where your surrogate lives. That said, most journeys follow a similar pattern.
Why this matters: Completing this early ensures peace of mind and avoids any last-minute stress as you approach delivery.
Why this matters: This step ensures that you, and only you, are legally recognized as the baby’s parents from the very beginning.
Why this matters: Legal clarity provides emotional peace. With everything in place, you can focus fully on preparing to welcome your child. This document will be provided to the hospital Social Worker alongside your birth plan so that the hospital is aware of any necessary steps after delivery to ensure your legal rights as the parents.
Welcoming your baby into the world is one of the most meaningful moments of your surrogacy journey. At Alcea, we take great care to plan for this milestone so that everyone—your surrogate, you as the Intended Parents, and your care team—feels prepared, supported, and confident about what to expect.
Our on-staff Registered Nurse leads the birth planning process, with the support of both your Case Manager and your surrogate’s Case Manager. Together, we make sure every detail is thoughtfully considered, so when the big day comes, you can focus on the joy of meeting your baby.
Why this matters: With your wishes, your surrogate’s comfort, and hospital staff all aligned, birth planning provides clarity, trust, and peace of mind—so you can focus on the joy of welcoming your baby.
Arriving at the Hospital
The first hours after delivery are a beautiful and emotional time. At Alcea, we want you to feel prepared while also being able to soak in the joy of meeting your baby for the very first time.
Pro Tip for Parents: The more you prepare ahead—pre-registering with the hospital, keeping legal paperwork ready, packing for an overnight stay, and having open conversations with your surrogate about delivery preferences—the smoother and more special this time will feel.
The moments right after delivery are filled with emotion, relief, and joy. While hospital procedures may vary depending on location and your legal arrangements, our goal is to help you feel prepared so you can focus on meeting your baby and supporting your surrogate.
Your surrogate will still be a patient after delivery, receiving postpartum care for her physical recovery and emotional well-being. She may want quiet time to rest, some privacy, or perhaps short visits from you—it’s unique to each surrogate and ideally discussed before birth in your shared birth plan. Offering her respect and space in those first hours is an important way to honor the incredible role she has played in your journey.
The arrival of your baby is the moment you’ve been waiting for—but your journey with Alcea doesn’t end there. We know that the days and weeks following delivery are a time of adjustment for everyone, and our team is here to make sure you feel supported every step of the way.
After birth, we continue to walk alongside both you and your surrogate, ensuring practical details are handled smoothly while also caring for emotional well-being.
These final steps provide peace of mind, knowing that nothing is overlooked. From the practical details like bills and paperwork to the emotional side of postpartum recovery and new parenthood, Alcea ensures that every member of your journey is cared for—so you can focus fully on bonding with your baby and embracing the joy of your new chapter.
At Alcea, we believe our care doesn’t end at delivery—we remain by your side to ensure every detail is handled and every heart is supported as you begin life with your baby.
Alcea Surrogates undergo a rigorous and comprehensive screening process.
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Our pre-screening and matching process mitigates the risk in surrogate selection. One of the most comprehensive and meticulous in the industry leads to 90% of matches within the 1st meeting!
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Alcea will partner with you to open and fund an escrow account, after we have made a gestational carrier match.
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Alcea will coordinate with the intended parent's legal counsel, proactively providing the agreed-upon terms of a 'match sheet' discussed while in the matching phase.
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Alcea will coordinate with your surrogate’s monitoring and embryo transfers.
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Once a heartbeat is confirmed, Alcea continues to guide you and your surrogate along the way.
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Alcea will coordinate with the hospital to ensure they are familiar with the nuances of a surrogate delivery.
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