From UK to Ukraine: perspective on Ukraine Surrogacy from parents who have been there

1. Prospects of Ukrainian surrogacy: why you should choose it
2. Surrogacy in Ukraine
3. How long programs last

UK couples in need of surrogacy services often consider Ukraine as a destination for their reproductive journey. There are many reasons to choose this country over Belgium, for example, which is much closer and where surrogacy is also legal. This article presents arguments in favour of choosing a Ukrainian surrogacy agency from once intended but now very happy parents from the UK. 

Prospects of Ukrainian surrogacy: why you should choose it

The feedback from couples who have become parents through surrogacy in Ukraine shows common points:

1. Affordable prices of reproductive programs.
2. Legal status of surrogacy.
3. Visa-free entry.
4. Convenience of travelling (possibility to arrive at the clinic in a few hours).
5. Positive feedback from other parents (e.g. feedback1, feedback2).

All of the above points effectively alleviate the main fears of intended parents: going beyond the budget, problems with registration of parental rights (claims of surrogate mother on the newborn) and travel documents of the child, problems with border crossing and legality of stay in the country. Positive experience in the feedback of other parents also relieves anxiety and is one of the most convincing arguments in favour of Ukraine.

Another important point parents mentioned was the atmosphere in the clinic and the relationship with the participants of the reproductive program: doctors, coordinators and especially with the surrogate mother. The feeling of belonging and the opportunity to receive full information during the program and the surrogate mother's pregnancy is the best help in overcoming the anxiety that can overshadow the joy of a family waiting for a baby.

Concerns about the language barrier are also unfounded: reproductive clinics in Ukraine have taken care of hiring multilingual staff over the years of working with foreigners.  

Surrogacy in Ukraine

Assisted reproductive technologies in Ukraine have a long history and a solid legal framework. The Civil and Family Codes clearly define the rights and obligations of the parties, recognising the biological parents as the sole legal representatives of a child born to a surrogate. This excludes situations in which the surrogate mother may try to keep the child for herself. Thus, the rights of biological parents are reliably protected, which makes Ukraine an even more attractive country for giving birth to a baby.

Important: Another nice feature of surrogacy for UK parents is the birth certificate, where the biological mother will be listed as the mother of the child, not the surrogate mother. This greatly simplifies the process of legalizing the newborn and increases the sense of belonging of the biological parents even more. 

Despite the commercial nature of surrogacy, the cost of reproductive programs in Ukraine, including the surrogate mother's fee, is several times lower than in the UK and other European countries (not to mention the USA and Canada). At the same time, the level of reproductive medicine is not inferior to the best clinics in the USA: Ukrainian reproductive specialists know the latest methods of fertility treatment and are constantly upgrading their skills, exchanging experience with foreign colleagues.

Ukraine has long become one of the most popular destinations for reproductive tourism, and this naturally stimulates clinics to constantly develop and create individual reproductive program, taking into account the needs and wishes of each individual family.

An individual program may include, for example, the possibility to choose the sex of the child, to select an egg donor with an exotic phenotype, to choose a surrogate and meet her in person, to become parents without visiting Ukraine through remote programs and to be in constant contact with the surrogate during pregnancy.

The process of legalisation of the newborn is also a well-established procedure that does not take more than a few weeks. The parents do not have to take their hands off the newborn and deal with the paperwork themselves: the clinics have a team of lawyers in the field of reproductive law and work with official institutions for these tasks.

How long programs last

It is impossible to predict how soon after contacting the clinic a couple will become parents. Depending on the medical history, the age of the couple, the doctor's approach and random factors, it may take one cycle or more than three.

Some couples will not need a surrogate mother as they thought, but will need the right method for fertility treatment to become parents on their own. Others will need to use donor oocytes or embryo adoption to create a family.

The most important advice of established parents is to have a relaxed and positive attitude. Time is not as important as the goal you are working towards. Help and support of the clinic team are also important: during the reproductive program, they are your most loyal allies and you share the same goal: the birth of a new life.