How to overcome the risks of surrogacy: a complete guide for expectant parents

1. Main risks of surrogacy
2. Medical risks of surrogacy
3. Psychological risks
4. Legal risks
5. Financial risks

However, in 2025 it is a complex medico-legal programme, and the risks of surrogacy — medical, legal, financial, emotional — can cost prospective parents child custody rights, loss of significant funds, and enormous stress. 

Understanding the risks of surrogacy can help you draft a competent contract that protects the rights of all parties and makes your journey to a child with surrogate mother services safe and manageable.

The risks of surrogacy and oocyte donation can be minimised, but they cannot be completely eliminated. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to inform you about all the risks and benefits of surrogacy, to suggest ways to minimise them and to suggest a programme that takes them all into account and reduces them as much as possible. 

Main risks of surrogacy

The risks of surrogacy can be divided into several main categories, each of which can threaten the well-being of the programme for all participants:

• medical;
• psychological;
• legal;
• financial.

Understanding the risks and benefits of surrogacy before starting a reproductive programme is the first step to preventing the former and maximising the latter. Preliminary consultations with reproductologists, lawyers in the field of reproductive law, as well as the choice of the country of the programme play a crucial role at least in minimising the risks of not being recognised as the parents of the child. Particular care should be taken when choosing a country for surrogacy for single women, men, same-sex couples - the country you choose should have a long history of successful surrogacy cases for people of all marital statuses.

Medical risks of surrogacy

The medical risks of surrogacy are primarily related to IVF procedures and the peculiarities of the pregnancy. These are all standard risks typical of any pregnancy. 

For the intended parents, the main risk factors are time and money. It is not known at what attempt a healthy embryo suitable for transfer will be created. And from which attempt at embryo transfer a pregnancy will occur. There is also the possibility of failed implantation, which will require repeated attempts, and therefore increased stress on the surrogate's body. 

If you participate in a reproductive programme where you pay for each service (i.e. attempt) separately on a single payment basis with no guarantee of babybirth - you risk spending money before the next attempt results in pregnancy and the birth of a baby. If you participate in the guaranteed programme of Feskov Human Reproduction Group — these risks are not present for you, you have paid a reasonable fixed cost once in instalments - you are guaranteed the birth of a healthy child. 

The age and state of health of the gestational carrier also directly affect the medical risks. Careful selection of candidates and regular medical monitoring help to minimise these threats. Pay attention to how the selection of candidates for the role of surrogate mother is carried out, how the pregnancy is monitored, how bad habits are controlled, what are the living conditions of the gestational carrier. 

The health risks of surrogacy affect both the surrogate mother and the future child. Here is what Feskov Human Reproduction Group is doing to mitigate these risks:

1. eSET — elective single embryo transfer. Transfer of one selected embryo to reduce the risk of multiple pregnancies and all possible obstetric risks.
2. Comprehensive examination of the surrogate mother before embryo transfer, control of her psychological state: a healthy body — a healthy spirit and a healthy embryo.
3. Medical preparation of the organism of the gestational carrier to carry the pregnancy.

Key aspects of management and skilful coordination of the programme:

1. The surrogate mother should not need anything.
2. The surrogate mother should reside in a quiet safe territory. For example, in the city of Chernivtsi.
3. Enhanced monitoring regime, coordination of communication between the gestational carrier and the future parents. As your business partner for your peace of mind.
4. Providing comfortable conditions and peace of mind: the surrogate mother does not work, but just enjoys life and carries your baby.

Complications of pregnancy such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia or premature labour can affect the health of your baby. These risks are common to any pregnancy and are not predictable. All you can do to minimise them is to choose a fully screened and programme-ready surrogate from our database.

Genetics plays a huge role in the health of your future baby. It also has a great influence on the favourable course of pregnancy. That is why in all guaranteed programmes we examine the embryo for chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, Patau, Edwards trisomy and others. However, chromosomes are made up of genes, genes are a set of hereditary information that, when the embryo is created, activates the cells of the organs and tissues of the future child. Despite prior genetic testing, there remains a small chance of developing inherited diseases or congenital anomalies. 

However, Feskov Human Reproduction Group has the opportunity to examine the reproductive material of future parents and egg donors and prevent more than 500 inherited diseases that could manifest in your child in the future, even before embryos are created. Our leading molecular geneticist will be happy to tell you about this possibility with the help of Human Genomics programmes at your free initial consultation. 

If you want to eliminate both medical and financial risks at once, choose the guaranteed programme of Feskov Human Reproduction Group.

Psychological risks

The emotional component of surrogacy is often underestimated by prospective parents. Psychological risks of surrogacy can include the stress of losing control over the pregnancy process, anxiety about the health of the future child, and difficulties in the relationship with the surrogate.

Some couples experience feelings of guilt or inferiority due to the inability to carry a child on their own. Based on more than 25 years of experience, we assure you that when your baby is born and you hold him in your arms, who carried him will not matter to you.

Stressful situations during pregnancy can have a negative impact on the development of the foetus. It is therefore essential to provide a comfortable environment for the surrogate mother and to maintain a relationship of trust between all parties involved. By comfortable conditions we mean contracts paid on time, communication with the participation of a psychologist, coordinator and interpreter for better mutual understanding, and a relationship with the surrogate mother as a business partner who helps the family. And everything is going to be tip-top! 

In programmes where the birth of a child is not guaranteed, psychological risks are always present. To overcome psychological difficulties, it is recommended to work with a psychologist specialising in reproductive health issues. All our programmes are guaranteed, we take care of all your problems, risks and worries. Our psychologist just might be an interesting interlocutor for you, we are always open to communication. With Feskov Human Reproduction Group you simply have nothing to worry about. 

We work with surrogate mothers and expectant parents as a business partner. This means that expectant parents calmly and confidently await the birth of their child under the protection and guarantees of the signed agreement. Without unnecessary involvement in the surrogate mother's life, without the risk of encountering a breach of trust. Disputes are quickly resolved by your programme coordinator, and you will receive a competent and clear answer to any question you may have. You have nothing to worry about in a guaranteed programme: you have paid a fixed contract price once, and we will ensure the declared result — the birth of a healthy child! 

Legal risks

How to deal with the legal risks of surrogacy depends largely on the country where the programme is carried out and how well the contract is drafted. Inaccuracies in the contract can lead to disputes over parental rights or financial obligations. Apart from the fact that in some countries, such as the UK, surrogacy is not explicitly regulated and contracts are easily recognised as null and void.

Changes in legislation during the programme can also affect the legality of the procedure or the rights of the participants. There is also a risk of the surrogate mother refusing to hand over the child to the biological parents, especially in countries with liberal legislation. In particular, such cases are legally possible in Belgium or the UK.

The most important condition for avoiding such risks is to choose the country where the embryo transfer will take place. You can choose any country of birth, the main thing is where the embryo transfer is performed. It is the stable legislation of the country where the medical part of the programme is performed that determines the successful birth of the child and its successful legalisation.

What else do we need to pay attention to? What does the contract guarantee: medical services during the programme or an unlimited number of IVF attempts? Does the contract between you and the company include the birth of a healthy child as a result of these attempts or not? If not — do not participate in any case, you run a huge risk of being left without money and without a child!

Pay attention to whether they offer you a lot of additional services like massage, psychological support and so on. In most cases, this is to make the package look more impressive. And to take you away from the essence. In the end, pregnancy may or may not occur, and you can only hope that the next attempt will be successful before you run out of money to pay for the endless services. 

It is critical to choose countries where the surrogates and the clinic where the embryo transfer takes place are located in the same country. This allows laws, logistics and any issues to operate within the same legal framework. Without the risk of conflicting legislation, grey schemes and the prospect of trafficking charges. Despite the war, Ukraine is the optimal country for reproductive programmes. Clinics in Georgia and Albania practice working with surrogate mothers from third countries. In Greece, only court permission to conduct a programme has to be waited for at least six months. Let the country where the programme will be held will not be promoted in social networks, not new, but will have an established legal practice in the field of surrogacy.

A reliable protection against possible abuse by the gestational carrier is a three-party contract, where between you and the surrogate mother is a clinic interested in the successful outcome of the programme. You can be sure that you will not be asked to pay additional fees that are not stipulated in the contract.

The clinic you are working with, after your first application and description of your family situation and your country of citizenship, should have an elaborated plan with a recommendation of the best country for the birth of a child, which does not carry any risks in the registration of the child, departure, legalisation in your country. Based on this plan you will be able to choose a suitable package of services, so that later you will not find out that the programme costs $50,000, and legalisation in your country — another $10,000, or even more.

Financial risks

The financial costs of surrogacy can far exceed your initial plans. Failed IVF attempts, medical complications, or the need to change surrogates will require additional investments. Living expenses, health insurance and contingencies should also be considered.

It is advisable to set aside a financial reserve of 50% of the planned amount and consider insurance, taking into account the health risks of surrogacy. If there is the slightest hint of medical or legal risks in surrogacy — these should be levelled, without relying on your lucky star.

The most reliable and effective way to deal with the risks of surrogacy is to participate in guaranteed fixed fee programmes. But! Most guaranteed programmes involve a limited number of IVFs (most often 3, less often 5). Whereas Feskov Human Reproduction Group offers an unlimited number of embryo transfers at a fixed price until the result is the birth of a healthy baby. 

You don't have to hang in suspense wondering if 3 attempts will be enough for you to become parents, or if you'll just lose money and have to pay for multiple cycles again. You don't have to worry about such risks of a surrogacy programme - you simply choose the right package and expect to have a baby! An unsuccessful embryo transfer or termination of pregnancy simply launches a new cycle with no additional fees. 

It is important to understand: if your doctor says that you have good sperm, good egg cells, even if you have already produced excellent quality embryos — this is still not a guarantee of a healthy baby. You are still at risk of spontaneous abortion, unforeseen situations in labour. Even advanced technology does not save you from this. 

When a pregnancy is carried by a surrogate mum, it is always a technological and logistical challenge. But this challenge does not threaten the future parents — everything is taken care of by Feskov Human Reproduction Group, you only have to wait for your baby.

Only working with a citizen of Ukraine, surrogate mother in Feskov Human Reproduction Group protects your parental rights 100% — the surrogate mum can not keep the child even if the birth of the child takes place not in Ukraine, but in the country of your choice. Even possible replacement of surrogate mums will not require additional expenses from you.

All our surrogate mums undergo a strict psychological screening before being accepted into the programme, have a strong motivation to help other people to become parents, strictly follow the terms of the contract — psychological risks simply have nowhere to arise in our programmes. Moreover, our reproductive psychologist is at your service throughout the programme free of charge!

Don't worry in vain, predicting risks that won't happen if you take part in our guaranteed programmes — ask your manager for a consultation and get a reliable and detailed programme that will make you parents!