The Surrogacy Journey
Online Surrogacy Courses for Heterosexual, Gay, Lesbian and Single Intended Parents
This page brings together expert-led online surrogacy courses created for intended parents who want to understand the medical, legal, emotional, and international aspects of the surrogacy journey before making decisions.
Surrogacy is a major decision, and many intended parents feel overwhelmed by questions around IVF, egg donors, sperm donors, surrogate selection, international laws, timelines, and emotional readiness. These surrogacy online courses on Family By Choice app are created to provide structured, educational guidance at the research and planning stage of the surrogacy journey.
Family By Choice online surrogacy lessons focus on helping you:
- understand how different surrogacy pathways work for different types of intended parents
- explore international and identity-specific considerations
- learn from experienced professionals and parents who have walked this path
Below, you’ll find two Family By Choice surrogacy courses, each offering a distinct perspective on the specific surrogacy journey.
The first course is focused on global surrogacy programs and surrogacy legal frameworks, and the second one is centered on the lived experiences of a gay couple building a family through surrogacy.
Explore surrogacy courses & resources with Family By Choice
Our online surrogacy courses for all intended parents are designed to help you understand surrogacy as both a practical process and an emotional journey.
Our courses combine real-world expertise with compassion, helping you explore key considerations around surrogacy laws, costs of surrogacy, potential risks of surrogacy and the emotional dynamics involved in the surrogacy landscape.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore your surrogacy options or already have some kind of plan, you’ll find clear, educational insights from leading international experts and stories from families who have navigated this path in different ways.
Ready to explore our online surrogacy courses?
Online Course: Surrogacy Abroad: Navigating Global Programs and Legalities
Online surrogacy abroad course for heterosexual couples, gay couples, lesbian couples, single parents by choice
This in-depth course explores how surrogacy works across 14 countries. We cover topics like surrogacy in Australia, the US, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, some Asian countries and European countries like Georgia, Ukraine, Cyprus…
You’ll learn how surrogacy is regulated in various regions, what the general parentage structures look like, and what factors intended parents often consider when evaluating surrogacy clinics and surrogacy agencies.
The course also discusses the emotional preparation many intended parents find helpful when exploring international programs.
Led by surrogacy lawyers, surrogacy specialists, and intended parents, this course offers a global perspective – balancing hope with realism and helping you reflect on which environments may feel aligned with your family structure, values and preferences.
Real experiences. Real families. Real perspectives.
Speakers:
Olga Pysana, Co-founder Family By Choice, Independent International Surrogacy Consultant
Santiago Martinez, Founding Partner & Legal Representative, Colombia
Anastasia Herman, International ART Lawyer, Ukraine
Maz Adam Iqbal, International Surrogacy Consultant, UK Barrister & Mediator
Vardan Stepanyan, Corporate & Finance Lawyer, Armenia
Online Course Two dads and a dream: Surrogacy guide for gay couples
This course celebrates the path to fatherhood through surrogacy for gay men, blending practical information, emotional understanding, and legal context with inspiring real-life stories.
From understanding how gay intended parents approach egg donor and surrogate selection to learning how international legal landscapes differ and exploring common dynamics in surrogate – LGBTQ+ intended parents relationships, you’ll hear insights from a gay couple in the surrogacy process, and from experts who share their professional perspectives regarding surrogacy for two dads.
This course brings together compassionate professionals and surrogacy for LGBTQ+ parents, with a simple goal to help gay couples feel informed, supported, and confident as they explore their next steps in surrogacy.
Authentic stories. Expert insight. Emotional truth.
Speakers:
Olga Pysana, Co-founder Family By Choice, Independent International Surrogacy Consultant
Shaun Thomas, Independent Surrogacy Consultant, The Surrogacy Father
Online Course: Surrogacy & The Law: Navigating the Legal Maze of International Surrogacy
International surrogacy can feel hopeful and overwhelming at the same time. Behind every medical step is a legal structure that determines parentage, citizenship, contracts, and ultimately whether you can safely bring your baby home.
This in-depth course explores how surrogacy law works across borders, helping intended parents understand not only what is legally possible, but what is legally secure. From understanding how countries define legal parenthood to navigating cross-border recognition, citizenship pathways, birth certificates, contracts, and exit planning, this course breaks down complex legal concepts into clear, practical guidance you can actually use. You’ll learn why international surrogacy requires coordinated legal strategy in more than one jurisdiction, what strong surrogacy agreements typically include, how parentage orders function in different regions, and what red flags may signal legal risk.
Beyond compliance, this course also explores the ethical and human rights dimensions of international programs, helping you evaluate not just legality, but integrity.
Led by an experienced international reproductive lawyer, this course provides clarity without alarmism – balancing realism with empowerment so you can build your family on a legally stable foundation.
Real law. Real structure. Real protection.
Speakers:
Alona Kalchuk, Attorney in International Surrogacy & Reproductive Law
Why Learn with Family By Choice
Family By Choice surrogacy courses are designed to support intended parents at the learning and decision-making stage of the surrogacy journey. Each course combines expert insight, real-life perspectives, and flexible learning to help you better understand your options before moving forward.
Expert-Led
Education
Family By Choice surrogacy courses are designed to support intended parents at the learning and decision-making stage of the surrogacy journey.
Each course combines expert insight, real-life perspectives, and flexible learning to help you better understand your options before moving forward.
Self-Paced Online Learning
All surrogacy courses are delivered online via Family By Choice App and can be accessed at your own pace.
Whether you’re early in your research or already exploring specific pathways, you can learn in a way that fits your schedule, personal circumstances, and emotional readiness.
All courses are available in 6 languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Serbian and Croatian.
Structured Learning Resources
Each online surrogacy course includes thoughtfully curated educational materials:
1. recorded lessons
2. guided discussions and
3. supporting resources
designed to reinforce understanding and help you reflect on the considerations that often arise throughout the surrogacy journey.
Who Are These Courses For?
Our online surrogacy courses are designed for Intended Parents:
- Heterosexual married couples
- Heterosexual non-married couples
- Heterosexual single parents by choice
- Gay married couples
- Gay non-married couples
- Gay single parents by choice
- Lesbian married couples
- Lesbian non-married couples
- Lesbian single parents by choice
- LGBTQ+ couples or single parents by choice
seeking reliable, educational insight into the surrogacy process.
FAQs
Q: How long does the surrogacy process last?
A: Surrogacy is not a quick process. Many intended parents find the overall process takes around 1.5 to 2 years, depending on individual circumstances. This often includes time for research, matching, legal coordination, medical preparation, and pregnancy itself. Timelines vary widely, but having a general sense of the stages can help set realistic expectations.
Q: Is surrogacy legal everywhere?
A: No. Laws differ significantly by country and even by state. In some parts of Europe, surrogacy is restricted or prohibited, while others allow only altruistic arrangements. Countries such as the UK allow surrogacy with expense reimbursement only. Some regions (including Georgia and Armenia) permit commercial surrogacy, but families usually need to consider how their home country recognizes parentage afterward.
Our courses provide educational overviews of these legal landscapes to help you understand the broader picture.
Q: What is the success rate of surrogacy?
A: Outcomes vary widely and depend on individual medical circumstances, clinic practices, and legal frameworks. No outcome can be guaranteed, and intended parents are encouraged to view outcomes as general statistics rather than predictions.
Q: Do intended parents have to be married?
A: Requirements vary by country or region. In many places, marriage is not required for intended parents pursuing surrogacy. Single individuals and unmarried couples (LGBTQ+ or heterosexual) may be eligible, though additional legal steps might be needed in some jurisdictions to formalize parentage.
Our courses offer general educational information about how different regions approach these requirements.
Q: How does embryo transfer work in surrogacy?
A: In most programs, embryo transfer follows standard IVF procedures performed by licensed medical professionals. Typically, an embryo created in a laboratory is transferred into the gestational carrier’s uterus using a thin catheter. Medical teams may use medications as part of standard clinical protocols, based on individual medical assessment.
Our courses explain this process in a non-medical, educational way so intended parents can better understand what typically happens in IVF-based surrogacy programs.
Q: Gestational vs Traditional Surrogacy?
A: Gestational surrogacy involves a surrogate who is not genetically related to the child, as the embryo is created using the intended parents’ or donors’ gametes. Traditional surrogacy involves a surrogate who uses her own egg and is genetically related to the child.
Q: What is altruistic surrogacy?
A: Altruistic surrogacy is a model in which the surrogate does not receive payment beyond reimbursement for reasonable pregnancy-related expenses. This type of surrogacy is regulated differently depending on the country and may include strict eligibility and approval requirements.
Q: What are the most frequent surrogacy requirements?
A: Common requirements may include medical screening, psychological evaluation, legal eligibility, and informed consent from all parties. Specific criteria vary by country, clinic, and legal framework.
Q: What are the most frequent disqualifications for surrogacy?
A: Potential disqualifications may include medical conditions that increase pregnancy risk, unresolved psychological concerns, legal restrictions, or failure to meet clinic or jurisdictional criteria. Requirements differ widely depending on location.
Q: What countries support gay surrogacy?
A: Some countries and jurisdictions allow surrogacy access for gay male couples, though the conditions, eligibility criteria, and parentage recognition rules vary. Countries that are commonly used by gay intended fathers (couples) for surrogacy include: United States (in many states, subject to state law), Canada (altruistic surrogacy model), Mexico (in specific states and under certain legal frameworks), Colombia, Argentina, Albania, Guatemala, UK.
Eligibility, access, and parentage recognition depend on local laws, clinic policies, and individual circumstances, and may change over time.
Read more about surrogacy for gay couples here.
Q: In what countries lesbian couples can start the surrogacy process?
A: Lesbian couples may be eligible to pursue surrogacy in a number of countries, depending on local laws governing assisted reproduction, surrogacy, and legal parentage.
Countries that are commonly accessible to lesbian couples for surrogacy include: United States (in many states, subject to state law), Canada (altruistic surrogacy model), Mexico (in specific states and under certain legal frameworks), Colombia, Argentina, Albania, Guatemala, UK.
Eligibility, access, and parentage recognition depend on local laws, clinic policies, and individual circumstances, and may change over time.
Read about the European surrogacy laws for LGBTQ+ couples here.
Q: Who is a candidate for an international surrogacy?
A: International surrogacy may be considered by intended parents who face legal, medical, or access limitations in their home country and who are able to meet the medical, legal, and logistical requirements of more than one jurisdiction.
Q: What is Hybrid Surrogacy
A: Hybrid surrogacy is an international approach in which different stages of the surrogacy journey, such as embryo creation, pregnancy, and legal processes, take place in different countries, each selected for its specific medical, legal, or practical advantages. Read more about hybrid surrogacy here.
Your Goals are Our Goals, too!
At Family By Choice, we believe every surrogacy journey deserves clarity, compassion, and meaningful support. Whether you’re just beginning your research or preparing for the next stage, our expert-led courses and parent community are here to offer reliable, educational insight and shared experiences.
You don’t have to navigate the medical, legal, and emotional questions alone – we’re here to provide understanding, connection, and guidance that helps you feel more informed throughout your learning process.
Explore Our Courses
IVF & Fertility Journey
Egg, Sperm & Embryo Donation
Building LGBTQ+ Families
Single Parent Journey
Natural Fertility Support
Mind and Body Preparations
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Hybrid Surrogacy: Understanding the Reality Beyond the Myths
European Surrogacy Laws: A 9+ Country Legal Guide for LGBTQ+ Couples and Single Parents
