One of our proudest achievements is our reputation as the agency of choice for LGBTQIA+ surrogacy. We embrace the opportunity to provide everyone the chance to have a family, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Yes — one of the Great Beginnings Surrogacy team's proudest achievements is its reputation as the agency of choice for LGBTQIA+ surrogacy. We embrace the opportunity to provide everyone the chance to have a family, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identification. Over the last two decades, LGBTQIA+ clients from all over the world have come to Great Beginnings Surrogacy to experience firsthand the joy of having a happy, healthy baby of their very own.
Becoming pregnant requires sperm, an egg, and a uterus. Many LGBTQIA+ people face difficulties conceiving because they or their partner may lack one or more of these vital elements. Surrogacy can overcome these problems with the help of sperm and egg donors and gestational surrogates — women who carry a child but have no genetic link to it.
Your precise requirements depend on your circumstances, but these are the essential elements of a successful surrogacy journey:
If neither Intended Parent can provide eggs, they need an egg donor. Egg donors are typically under 29, in excellent health, and support donating their eggs so LGBTQIA+ clients can have their own child. Some clients have a friend or family member offer to donate eggs (a known donor) — a beautiful arrangement if you want your child and the donor to have a relationship — or you may prefer an anonymous donor.
If neither intended parent can provide sperm, they need a sperm donor. This works much the same way as finding an egg donor, starting with selecting healthy, high-quality sperm. Using in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques, lab staff fertilize the egg with the sperm, and the best-fertilized embryos are transferred into a uterus, typically that of a surrogate.
Your gestational surrogate is a healthy person with no history of pregnancy complications who's keen to help LGBTQIA+ people have their own families. GBSS encourages clients to use a gestational surrogate because she has no genetic link to the child and, therefore, no legal claim to the baby.
With hundreds of happy, healthy babies to our credit, LGBTQIA+ parents-to-be from all over the world have come to us to build families through surrogacy, IVF, and egg donation. We've become known as the agency of choice for same-sex and LGBTQIA+ surrogacy — a hot-button issue in many states, but one we've embraced by giving any couple, regardless of sexual orientation or identification, the chance to have a family.
For a child to be born, it takes a sperm donor, an egg donor, and a uterus. For same-sex and LGBTQIA+ couples to have a biological child, there are a couple of additional steps involved in becoming an intended parent. Here's how the process breaks down.
Egg donors are generally under 29, in excellent health, and willing to donate their eggs to help a same-sex or LGBTQIA+ couple have a baby of their own. We pre-screen all our egg donors so the matching process is as low-anxiety as possible. Once matched, the donor begins fertility medications under a specialist's care; a healthy donor may provide 8–10 eggs through a short retrieval procedure. Some couples use a known donor (a friend or family member) instead of an agency match. Once eggs are retrieved, they're fertilized using IVF — one or both partners may provide sperm — and the best-fertilized embryos move to the next step.
We work with surrogates who specifically want to help same-sex and LGBTQIA+ couples build families. Chemistry matters — you'll work closely with your surrogate for nearly a year, so honest, open communication is essential. GBSS exclusively uses gestational surrogacy (rather than traditional surrogacy) for LGBTQIA+ journeys, meaning your surrogate has no genetic link to the child and therefore no legal claim to the baby, backed by strong California surrogacy law.
We'll provide profiles of prospective surrogates, arrange a meeting (in person or by phone), and support you through the decision process. Once you've found your match, surrogates undergo psychological and medical screening, and independent legal counsel drafts your surrogacy contract before the journey begins.
Once your surrogate is pregnant, she's closely monitored by a fertility specialist for the first 10–12 weeks, then transitions to the care of an obstetrician for the remainder of the pregnancy — with GBSS staying in close contact throughout. Around week 10, we help your attorney begin the Parental Establishment process, which results in a Pre-Birth Order (PBO) — a document that gives you the legal right to immediately begin caring for your baby at delivery, with your names on the birth certificate from the start.
All parties must mutually agree on the type of relationship going forward:
We have surrogates throughout the United States, though most live in Southern California. Many come to us through social media, and many refer friends and family after their own journey with GBSS.
Matching can take anywhere from a few days to several months. We recommend keeping an open mind — intended parents tell us they have the fewest regrets when they match with someone they feel comfortable with right away.
Surrogacy is legal on some level in nearly every U.S. state except Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and New York. Some states allow it with added hurdles, such as requiring a post-birth adoption. California's surrogacy laws are widely considered the most generous and flexible in the world.
Before medications begin, we help you fully fund a Trust Account with an independent escrow company, which pays your gestational surrogate according to your contract's guidelines.
Surrogate candidates apply online and complete an initial phone screening, followed by an extensive application. We collect prior birth records and a current physical exam from her OB/GYN, an OB clearance letter, a background check, medical pre-screening (physical exam plus immunity/vaccination bloodwork), a licensed therapist's psychological screening, and full bloodwork covering infectious disease, hormone levels, and drug/alcohol/nicotine testing.
We coordinate the surrogate application, background check, psychological and medical screening, contracts between you and two separate attorneys, medical and life insurance for your surrogate, and ongoing coordination with your fertility center, attorneys, psychologists, obstetricians, and hospitals.
See eligibility requirements, compensation, and take our quick qualify quiz.
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