In 2017-18, 35 women received fertility treatment as surrogates in Victorian clinics, and 13 babies were born as part of surrogacy arrangements.

The cost of surrogacy varies significantly based on location, number of cycles required and individual circumstances. Surrogacy Australia estimates an average cost of around $55,000 - $75,000 over a two-year period. This includes costs such as legal fees, non-rebatable IVF, mandatory counselling, allowable surrogate compensation, insurance and travel, and transfer of parentage.

The possible health effects of surrogacy are similar to that of IVF. These can include:

• Effects on the child born as a result of the treatment.
• Effects on the egg provider. Reactions to fertility drugs include hot flushes, feelings of depression or irritation, headaches and restlessness. There is also a small risk of ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS), which can cause stomach pains, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and faintness.
• Effects on the surrogate. These include the usual risks associated with any pregnancy and birth. These risks are increased with the age of the surrogate.
• There is also the rare risk of transfer of HIV and/or hepatitis. To eliminate this risk, mandatory screening of everyone involved in surrogacy is required. To enhance safety, embryos are also ‘quarantined’ for six months (although this time period may vary from clinic to clinic), at the end of which, before proceeding with the embryo transfer, any infections or diseases are screened for a second time. For more detail about the risks involved in surrogacy, please consult your fertility specialist.

Surrogacy arrangements in which a surrogate uses her own eggs is known as traditional surrogacy.

In Victoria, fertility clinics are only permitted to practise gestational surrogacy. This means that the surrogate is implanted with an embryo created using an egg from another woman (either the intended parent or donated from another woman).

However, without the involvement of a fertility clinic, traditional surrogacy is permitted. If you are considering traditional surrogacy, VARTA recommends that you obtain legal advice, especially with respect to obtaining legal parentage of any child born.

Find out more about surrogacy arrangements here.

You can find out more about becoming a surrogate here.

As with those who are seeking a surrogate, Victorian law prevents people from advertising or publishing that they are willing to act as a surrogate. This includes advertising that you are willing to accept benefits under a surrogacy arrangement. The most common scenario is that someone known personally to the intended parent(s) acts as the surrogate.

Once you have decided, in consultation with your fertility specialist, that surrogacy is the right option for you, it’s up to you to find a person willing to act as a surrogate. This is not an easy task. Some options include:

• letting family/friends know that surrogacy is your only option
• asking family or friends for help
• seeking a surrogate online (surrogacy support groups or online forums)

It is important to:

• Understand that decisions may affect your relationship with them in the future if they are not comfortable with the idea.
• Reassure those involved that you’ll understand if they don’t feel able or comfortable to do this for you. It is better that they are honest rather than going ahead if they have doubts.

It is illegal to publish an advertisement or notice or attempt to publicly seek a surrogate. Fertility clinics cannot advertise on your behalf. You are not allowed to pay a surrogate other than prescribed costs here. 

You can find out more about the process of surrogacy and how to find a surrogate here.

The chance of having a baby with surrogacy depends on a range of factors, including:

• the age of the person providing the egg or sperm
• the age of the surrogate
• the lifestyle of the surrogate and egg, sperm or embryo providers
• the stage of development when the embryo is transferred to the surrogate (2-3 day or 5-day embryo).

People in different situations enter into surrogacy arrangements for a number of reasons, including:

• a woman is unable to become pregnant or carry a baby for medical reasons
• a woman is at risk of harming herself or the child if she becomes pregnant
• a same-sex couple (male or female) or individual may want to have a child, conceived using their own sperm or eggs and donor sperm or eggs
• a couple for whom repeated IVF attempts have failed
• a couple who are involved in an IVF treatment program may have embryos in storage and, if the woman dies, the male partner may wish to commission a surrogate to carry and give birth to a child.

Although most people's first priority is to be the genetic parent, this may not be possible. There are a number of alternative options:

• donor treatment
• fostering, adoption and permanent care
• volunteering within your community with organisations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia, or sporting communities.

It’s up to you whether to discuss your treatment with work colleagues and your manager. If you think they are likely to be supportive it may be helpful as you will not need to explain absences.

Working with pregnant colleagues or listening to conversations about a colleague’s children can be difficult. You may be
asked questions you do not wish to answer, such as: ‘when are you going to start a family?’ Prepare your responses.

If you have decided to be open with your manager and colleagues, you might need to explain what fertility treatment is. The VARTA website is a great starting point. If confidentiality is important to you, be clear that your private information should not be shared.