As the world slowly begins to open up it’s now possible to travel for egg donation and surrogacy, but Covid has brought significant changes to the procedures and requirements
After a four year break, the charity ‘Growing Families’ is finally returning to face-to-face education events around the globe.
Director, Sam Everingham says many families come unstuck if they rely solely on social media for their manual for family building. While the casual advice from past parents is well-meaning, every journey is different and it is a constantly changing space. A provider that might have been a great choice two years ago maybe a dog today – staff change, so capacity changes.
There is an influx of many more paperwork processes for cross-border arrangements. Even experts like Growing Families have had to work hard to stay up-to-date on the latest requirements for travel, embryo and sperm shipping, country exit and exit rules, surrogate vaccination, donor availability, match wait times and insurance.
They have been running family building education since their first sold-out conference in 2012. Over this time they have assisted thousands of intended parents to create families across the globe, through events, webinars, website resources, gamete shipping, one-on-one consultations, travel and exit support.
There is no doubt that the level of trust inherent in family building arrangements, whether with a donor, a surrogate or both, demands not only a leap of faith but leaving your comfort zone to meet providers and other parents in person.
You can contact the growing families team direct or go to one of their global events. Each event provides inside knowledge of both regulated and unregulated donor and surrogacy options across the globe. Each features practical information and advice on North American and European programs as well as domestic options and emerging programs in South America.
The reality is that options depend on sexual orientation, budget, timelines and risk tolerance. The good news is there are options for a range of budgets. The key issue is to understand your options as early as possible
Upcoming Full-Day Conferences
Full-Day Conferences
- Dublin (26 March)
Each event features 12 – 30 speakers and panellists; young adults via surrogacy, lawyers, counsellors, health care professionals and migration experts exploring the complexities and how best to lay the groundwork for successful journeys. Perhaps most valuable are the parents and surrogates sharing what they learned and what they would do differently next time.
Visitors will have the chance to ask all sorts of questions including some of the tough ones around logistics, sourcing donors, surrogate matching; donor options and Covid vaccination. It’s also a meeting place – a chance to celebrate successes, support journeys and meet the sons and daughters brought into the world through a mix of determination, trust and love.
(Note that some events will have virtual tickets available for those unable to travel – check https://www.growingfamilies.org/all-events/)
London Event
For infertile couples & singles (heterosexual and LGBT)
Date: 19th March
Time: 9.30am – 6.00pm
Location: 155, Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3YD
