Fertility counselling FAQs
Seeking out a fertility-specialist therapist for your care has many benefits, including the fact that you won’t need to teach your therapist how things like fertility procedures work or how medications you are on may be impacting you. By working with a specialist, your session time can be focused on you – not explaining how your treatments work.
Yes, absolutely! Counselling during pregnancy, postpartum or through a loss is available even for those who conceived their children spontaneously.
Peer support is a great tool while going through fertility challenges, but does not replace professional support. Your family and friends may not have the capacity to take on your emotional needs, or may not have the right information or tools to provide you the care you need.
Remote therapy has a number of benefits. In addition to offering greater accessibility, our virtual appointments bring you the care you need wherever you are. If you are feeling physically or emotionally unable to leave your home, virtual care means you don’t have to miss a crucial appointment just because you can’t make it into a clinic.
All sessions are completely confidential. Our therapists work from approved remote locations and take precautions to ensure your privacy. All patient information is securely stored through a privacy compliant platform, which is also used to encrypt video during sessions.
So long as you have an internet connection and camera, you do not require any additional material. You may choose to use headphones for comfort and added privacy.
Our counseling rate is $165 per hour. Our psycho-social assessment rate is $420. All pricing is in Canadian dollars.
Many insurance providers cover our services by social workers, social service workers, and psychotherapists. Check with your provider for more information.
Yes! While services for out-of-country patients are unlikely to be covered by insurance providers, Carried With Love is happy to provide treatment to patients anywhere.
A psychosocial assessment is used when an individual is considering becoming a surrogate or donor, and when an Intended Parent is considering surrogacy. These assessments are 90 minutes in length and cover relevant family, medical, and psychological history. For Intended Parents using a donor, this assessment also includes genetic counseling and implications of donor conception. Following the assessment, a clearance letter and report will be sent to a patient’s fertility clinic.
- As every patient and experience is unique, the number of sessions you will need will depend on your circumstances. While most patients see their therapist for 8 – 12 sessions, this can vary greatly.
- Some patients choose to see their therapist on a bi-weekly schedule, while others choose to book based on their when their other treatments are happening. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
You are welcome to bring your partner to attend any of your sessions with you. We just ask that you let us know before the specific session whether it will be individual or a couples session.
Surrogacy & education FAQs
The average wait time in Canada to be matched with a surrogate is 12-18 months through an agency. With that being said, Intended Parents can greatly decrease the matching time by searching for a surrogate independently as well.
The entire surrogacy process from start to finish can be as quick as 18 months and as long as 3+ years. This depends on a few factors; how quickly you match, if your transfer works the first time, and if the pregnancy continue smoothly.
People come to surrogacy for a number of reasons. With infertility rates rising, many couples seek out surrogacy after a long history with infertility. Additionally, some couples may require a surrogate due to cancer, MRKH (born without a uterus), endometriosis, PCOS or a traumatic birth history making pregnancy unsafe. Some individuals may require a surrogate for personal reasons such as fear of pregnancy, negative impact to lifestyle or career or because neither partner has the anatomy to carry a pregnancy (same sex couples).
Below is a list of the most common qualifications to become a surrogate:
- over the age of 21
- At least one term pregnancy
- Healthy pregnancy history with no major complications
- Recommended to not have more than 5 previous pregnancies and 3 previous c-sections
- Non smoker/non-drug user
- Healthy BMI
- Strong support system (if partnered, they must be on board and willing to undergo medical and psychological testing)
- Not taking mental health medication (may be approved on pregnancy safe medications)
- Recommended to be finished with your own family
Please feel free to schedule a consultation with us to learn more.
Yes! Surrogacy in Canada is governed by the Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHRA) and is legal across Canada.* It is however not legal to pay someone acting as a surrogate.
*Consider consulting a lawyer before pursuing surrogacy in Quebec as the surrogacy contracts may not be enforced in the same capacity.
Altruistic surrogacy can feel misleading as its often used in contrast to compensated or commercialized surrogacy. Altruistic surrogacy only means that the surrogate cannot be paid an outright fee – she can however be reimbursed for any and all of her pregnancy expenses as long as she has a receipt. Typical reimbursement amounts are between $25,000- $35,000 for the entire pregnancy not including lost wages or out of pocket medical expenses.
Surrogates in Canada cannot be paid. They can however, be reimbursed all of their pregnancy related expenses up to a cap. Typically, this cap is between $25,000-$35,000 for the duration of the pregnancy.
Independent surrogacy costs ~$60-$80,000+.
This takes into account clinic fees, out of pocket medical fees, legal fees, and reimbursements to the surrogate. It does not include embryo creation or costs of treatment prior to surrogacy.
If you decide to work with an agency you should factor in an extra $10,000 – $30,000.
It is important to understand the surrogacy process thoroughly before jumping in and research is important. This can be done through various channels like google, Facebook groups, clinic resources, studies, legal advice or other forms of education.
For intended parents wishing to pursue independent surrogacy, we have made the process seamless with all of your research in one convenient place.
Please check out our Independent Surrogacy Program for more.
Gestational surrogacy is the most common type. This is where the surrogate is carrying an embryo created from the Intended Parents sperm and egg or from a donor and she is not genetically related to the baby she carried. A traditional surrogate would act as the egg donor and the surrogate which means she would be carrying her own biological baby.
No. As long as the law is followed, a Canadian surrogate does not have any legal rights to keep your baby.
A surrogacy contract is what protects both the surrogate and the intended parents throughout the process. It is also required in order to complete the parentage paperwork after the birth. Your contract should be drafted by a fertility lawyer and both parties should have separate legal counsel. A contract is arguable the most important step of the surrogacy process and should never be skipped or rushed.
No. Carried with Love teaches Intended Parents how to do independent surrogacy properly. We believe that the right research and guidance can make the surrogacy process simple and help you accomplish your goals faster while making the entire experience a positive one.
Carried with Love also provides virtual counselling support for those going through infertility, loss, surrogacy/donor conception, difficult pregnancies, birth and postpartum depression all with a trauma informed lens.
Didn’t see your question listed? We’d love to hear from you.