U.S. Surrogacy for International Intended Parents

For international intended parents planning to build their family through surrogacy in the United States, creating embryos is often the first major step in a much longer journey.

Cross-border fertility care involves far more than simply scheduling an appointment with a U.S. clinic. Medical records must be organized, preliminary testing must be completed, treatment timelines must be coordinated across time zones, and travel must align closely with the patient’s menstrual cycle.

This international patient, approximately 42 years old, planned to create embryos using her own eggs and her spouse’s sperm. The embryos would undergo preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) before being used in a future gestational surrogacy journey.

From the initial medical preparation onward, Hello Baby Surrogacy assisted the intended parents with bilingual communication, fertility-treatment coordination, and planning for the later stages of their U.S. surrogacy journey.

Completing Preliminary Testing Before Traveling

Before traveling to the United States, both intended parents completed preliminary testing in their home region.

The female patient completed ovarian reserve and fertility-related testing, including:

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) testing;
Baseline hormone testing;
Transvaginal ultrasound and antral follicle assessment;
Infectious disease screening.

Her spouse completed a semen analysis and infectious disease screening. The semen analysis provided an initial understanding of sperm count, motility, and other important parameters that could affect fertilization planning.

Hello Baby helped organize the available medical records and communicate the relevant results to the U.S. fertility center. Preparing these records in advance allowed the physician to better understand the intended parents’ circumstances before the formal consultation.

For international patients, this preparation is especially important. Missing records, incorrectly timed testing, or misunderstandings about clinic requirements can delay treatment after arrival in the United States.

July 23: Virtual Consultation with the U.S. Fertility Physician

On July 23, we coordinated a virtual consultation between the intended parents and their U.S. reproductive physician.

The physician reviewed the female patient’s age, ovarian reserve, hormone levels, and ultrasound findings, together with the male partner’s semen analysis. The consultation also covered the expected steps of ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization, embryo culture, and PGT.

The intended parents were able to ask questions directly and gain a clearer understanding of the proposed treatment plan, expected timeline, and uncertainties associated with the cycle.

Following the consultation, Hello Baby continued coordinating the pre-treatment requirements, medical forms, payment arrangements, anticipated menstrual-cycle timing, and travel schedule.

Completing the consultation before departure helped the intended parents arrive in the United States with a clearer understanding of what to expect.

August 9: Arrival in Los Angeles

The patient arrived in Los Angeles on August 9 to wait for the beginning of her menstrual cycle and prepare for baseline testing.

Fertility treatment is highly time-sensitive. The start of menstruation, baseline ultrasound and bloodwork, stimulation medications, monitoring appointments, trigger injection, and egg retrieval all need to be carefully coordinated.

Before and after the patient’s arrival, Hello Baby assisted with:

Organizing medical records completed overseas;
Coordinating the virtual consultation;
Confirming travel and clinic appointments;
Following up on consent forms and administrative requirements;
Clarifying treatment instructions;
Coordinating dates across different time zones;
Confirming baseline testing and medication schedules;
Facilitating bilingual communication with the clinic.

These details may appear administrative, but each one can affect whether an international patient is able to begin treatment on schedule.

August 13: Beginning the Stimulation Cycle

After completing the required baseline evaluation and receiving medical clearance, the patient began ovarian stimulation on August 13.

During stimulation, she followed the physician’s medication instructions and attended multiple ultrasound and blood-monitoring appointments. The medical team evaluated follicle growth and hormone levels, adjusting the treatment plan when necessary.

Throughout the cycle, Hello Baby continued providing bilingual support and treatment coordination, including:

Confirming ultrasound and bloodwork appointments;
Helping the patient understand clinic instructions;
Reviewing medication and injection timing;
Organizing questions for the medical team;
Following treatment progress;
Confirming the trigger injection and retrieval schedule;
Communicating updates from the clinic and embryology laboratory.

For an international patient receiving fertility treatment in a different healthcare system, consistent bilingual support can reduce confusion and make each stage easier to navigate.

August 26: Egg Retrieval

After approximately two weeks of stimulation and monitoring, the patient underwent egg retrieval on August 26.

Four eggs were retrieved and successfully fertilized. During embryo culture, two embryos developed into blastocysts.

Both blastocysts underwent PGT, and one passed screening.

The first-cycle timeline and results were:

July 23: Virtual consultation with the U.S. fertility physician
August 9: Arrival in Los Angeles
August 13: Ovarian stimulation began
August 26: Egg retrieval
Eggs retrieved: 4
Blastocysts obtained: 2
Blastocysts that passed PGT screening: 1

Every patient’s ovarian response, egg quality, embryo development, and PGT results are different. Age is also an important factor in the likelihood of obtaining chromosomally suitable embryos.

For this patient, who was approximately 42 years old, obtaining two 4BA blastocysts and one embryo that passed PGT screening was a very encouraging and hard-earned result.

Planning Another Cycle to Bank More Embryos

Although the intended parents now have one PGT-screened embryo, they have decided not to proceed immediately to surrogate matching and embryo transfer.

After considering the patient’s age, the number of available embryos, and their overall family-building goals, they plan to complete another IVF cycle to bank additional embryos before moving forward.

Hello Baby will continue assisting with the next cycle, including preliminary testing, communication with the fertility physician, treatment scheduling, travel coordination, and follow-up on retrieval, embryo development, and PGT results.

From Embryo Creation to a Complete Surrogacy Journey

Creating embryos is only the beginning of a U.S. surrogacy journey. Once the intended parents complete embryo banking, the next stages may include:

Gestational surrogate recruitment and matching;
Medical and psychological screening;
Legal agreements and parentage planning;
Insurance evaluation;
Preparation for embryo transfer;
Embryo transfer and pregnancy testing;
Pregnancy coordination and medical updates;
Birth planning for international intended parents.

Hello Baby Surrogacy provides more than surrogate matching. We support international intended parents through the transition from U.S. fertility treatment to the full surrogacy process.

From preliminary testing and virtual physician consultations to travel preparation, local treatment, embryo creation, surrogate matching, legal and insurance coordination, embryo transfer, and pregnancy management, our bilingual team helps intended parents navigate each stage with greater clarity and confidence.

This is only the beginning of this family’s U.S. surrogacy journey.

In Part Two, we will continue following the patient’s preparation, treatment process, and embryo results from her second IVF cycle.

Ready to learn more? Contact Hello Baby Surrogacy to explore your next step as an intended parent or surrogate.

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