BEWARE of the Fertility Institutes in Los Angeles

My partner and I are new to this whole surrogacy thing. We've met with several agencies and have searched numerous websites. We've considered in-state agencies, out of state agencies and even surrogacy out of country (in India)!

As you all are quite aware, gay surrogacy is quite expensive. Many agencies are not upfront (or just plain right not honest) about all the fees!

We met with the 'Fertility Institute' in Los Angeles (http://www.fertility-docs.com/) because their website is so compelling. They boast about how they're very gay friendly and are pioneers in the gay surrogacy business. They also explain how they're a state-funded clinic and have to abide by FDA regulations of sperm quarantine, etc.

The biggest lie was that they advertised how they are a one-stop clinic/agency. That is, they provide everything under one roof - no run around needed! And, perhaps it was too good to be true, but they said everything would cost $74,000 (new prices). They've done articles in past magazines that have claimed that many Austrailian gay couples have gone to them for surrogacy for a mere cost of $68,000 for everything.

Well, after meeting with them, we figured that the cost of $74,000 is not possible. This cost does not take into account procedures and things which are necessary - not optional, but necessary! For example, why wouldn't you include medications for the surrogate and egg donor in the total cost? Also, why wouldn't you include medical screening, attorney fees, insurance fees, etc? If they're a "one-stop shop," and they're advertising a "total package" price, they should have all these fees added in.

For gay surrogacy with an egg donor, it will cost well over $100,000 with the Fertility Institutes (plus insurance for the surrogate delivery, which can be as much as $20,000). This does not include additional costs if your first IVF cycle is not successful. Also, they are NOT a one-stop shop since they have a wait list of "at least 12 months" for their "in house surrogates," thus they strongly recommend that couples use surrogates from an outside agency, thereby having to pay an agency cost.

Anyway, my partner and I made the mistake of meeting with them, even though we should have probably seen that their offer was too good to be true (since many other California agencies are advertising $120,000+ for everything), and it cost us over $700 to do so! Just for meeting with them, we got a bill for $270 for the attorney and $465 for the consult with the doctor!!! Yes, $465 for a consult for less than an hour with the doctor to explain the procedures!!!

So beware and be cautious. We are now using a difference agency (obviously) and have since found out that many of the Fertility Institutes' claims about FDA regulations are not true. We think that their "hard sales" approach and lies about the 6 month quarantine is just to get a psychological lock on clients. After all, if you were tricked by them to sign a contract and pay a non-refundable deposit and have waited 6 months already for your sperm quarantine, you'll probably feel like you've been too vested to just start all over with a different agency.

By the way, we are in no affiliation with any other agencies ... I know that Growing Generations advertises a lot on here (and blogs, as well). We are not affiliated with them, although we did consider them. :)