Report
SGizmo
IARC - provider profile and satisfaction report |
Surrogacy Parents Survey |
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www.IARCsurrogacy.comLocations: Maple Grove, MN, USAContact: Steven H. Snyder, Esq. OR Keely Seaverson, Esq.Email: info@iarcsurrogacy.com Phone: 763-494-8800To find out if this provider participates in our Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP), please see the summary table of our Directory.
Services:
IVF clinic?
Surrogacy agency?
Egg donation?
Law firm?
Year founded: 2003Employees:
About IARC Surrogacy:*At IARC Surrogacy, we have extensive knowledge and experience in the field of surrogacy and ovum donation. Our agency's procedures are based on over 1,000 surrogate and ovum donor births to intended parents of all types around the globe. We are proud to offer full-service support with all legal, medical, financial, emotional, and educational aspects of this process while always remaining concerned about the well-being of each client, fertility helper, and unborn child. You may count on thorough education, transparency, and personalized attention. This is not a "one size fits all" process, and we help intended parents to make decisions that are best for their needs. We know this is an emotional step, but it is also one that is filled with excitement and hope. We hope to have the honor of speaking with you as you decide your path forward.* This description was provided by the service provider.
Ratings and reviews - from our Surveys
Disclaimer / terms of use |
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Surrogacy agency satisfaction - overall score (out of 10) |
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Agency score |
Overall |
Average Rank: 9.27 |
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Count: 44 |
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Min: 5 / Max: 10 |
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StdDev: 1.19 |
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Not Applicable: 0 |
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Agency experience |
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Agency rating |
Effective (contribution to the success of journey) |
Average Rank: 9.20 |
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Count: 44 |
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Min: 2 / Max: 10 |
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StdDev: 1.60 |
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Not Applicable: 0 |
Responsive and supportive throughout journey |
Average Rank: 9.27 |
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Count: 44 |
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Min: 6 / Max: 10 |
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StdDev: 1.23 |
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Not Applicable: 0 |
Surrogate screening and matching |
Average Rank: 9.23 |
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Count: 44 |
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Min: 1 / Max: 10 |
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StdDev: 1.79 |
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Not Applicable: 0 |
Gay friendly and knowledgeable |
Average Rank: 9.67 |
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Count: 39 |
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Min: 6 / Max: 10 |
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StdDev: 0.94 |
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Not Applicable: 0 |
Accommodation of international parents |
Average Rank: 9.22 |
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Count: 36 |
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Min: 5 / Max: 10 |
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StdDev: 1.29 |
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Not Applicable: 0 |
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Agency recommendation rate |
Value |
Percent |
Yes |
0.977 |
No |
0.023 |
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Statistics |
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Total Responses |
44 |
Average |
1 |
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Agency reviews and comments |
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Response |
(2005, USA parents) IARC was outstanding. |
(2009, International parents) אנשי הסוכנות מאוד מקצועיים, יודעים לנהל את התהליך מצד אחד ומצד שני להיות אנושיים וחמים. חוקי מיניסוטה מאוד נוחים לפונדקאות כולל אימוץ מצד שני האבות. קהילה יהודית מקסימה ומחבקת. התהליך אפקטיבי וקצר והם יחסית נותנים את התמורה הגדולה ביותר ביחס למחיר, כלומר המחיר שלהם 18,000$ הוא קטן לעומת כל מה שהם עושים עבורך. |
(2010, USA parents) A+
We had two incredible journeys with IARC which resulted in three beautiful babies and a lifelong relationship with our surrogate. |
(2010, USA parents) All of the staff there have been wonderful to work with as well as very caring and friendly. |
(2010, USA parents) IARC is a wonderful agency to work with for this process. They are thorough, detailed, and so supportive of helping make famililes. We absolutely adore everyone there. |
(2011, International parents) We examined several agency and with IARC there was a "click" from the first moment! this feeling accompanied us throught all the process!!! |
(2012, International parents) very recomended, great staff, pricing was initially a bit unclear |
(2012, International parents) עברנו מסע יסורים שכלל כשלונות קשים. הסוכנות לא הרפתה לרגע והחזיקה אותנו חזק-עד למטרה המופלאה.... |
(2012, USA parents) IARC was a great agency to work with -- experienced in legal surrogacy issues, and supportive of GLBT families. |
(2013, International parents) Le soutien de l\'agence doit également avoir lieu sur place lors de la prise en charge et elle doit informer sur les procédures à faire après la naissance. |
(2013, International parents) Very recommended. We couldn't do this journey without them |
(2014, International parents) So happy we choose this agency! Would recommend to everyone! |
(2014, USA parents) The staff and legal team at IARC are exceptional. The initial information provided accurately reflects the cost, timeline and process. We highly recommend IARC. |
(2015, International parents) Very supportive throughout the process. Inevitably there were occasionally administrative snags but these were resolved. They had very good links to fertility clinics. They also facilitated good post-birth legal support through the associated law firm. |
(2015, International parents) We were matched with a surrogate we felt truly comfortable with; she has been very committed and empathetic. The staff is very friendly and professional. They absolutely know what they are doing andhave a lot of experience in their field. In every respect -matching, finding a clinic, insurance matters, accounting and finding an apartment- they did a good job. We felt it to be a big advantage that IARC's director, Steve Snyder, is a lawyer who takes care of all the legal matters, too. He also knows about the legal necessities in the intended parents' countries of origin. The contracts he drafts are very thorough but comprehensible. The legal process after delivery was unbelievably fast (two weeks and two days for obtaining the passport) thanks to him and his paralegals, who always responded within hours and were very efficient. Also, their staff is very international, so they have a good understanding for cultural peculiarities in the relationship between foreign intended parents and US surrogates.
Something to improve would be: First, that the waiting list is rather long (we waited 10 months to be matched). And second, that our case manager during the pregnancy changed two times. Whereas we felt comfortable with this, it could have been an issue if our pregnancy had not been so unproblematic: In fact, our second case manager forgot to pay the bill monthly premium for our surrogate's insurance plan four months in a row, so that the insurance company terminated the policy in the middle of the pregnancy. This could have caused a financial disaster. However, IARC dealt VERY professionally with this: When they noticed the problem, they informed us right away, got the surrogate a new insurance within days and reimbursed us for any damages. |
(2015, USA parents) All in all, very professional. There were a couple of hiccups but everything was resoled well. I ended up having identical twins, which through me for a loop, and the agency really helped me deal effectively with that. Their selection of a surrogate was top-notch. I was particularly impressed by Steve Snyder's legal work at the end. |
(2016, International parents) IARC staff was very professional and knowledgeable about the process. They matched us with a wonderful surrogate which made our journey very smooth.
However, their waiting periods for matching is extremely long, we waited 13 months which was considered very long in 2015. We also felt they were lagging during the drafting and signing of the contract, it took us almost 3 months to complete the negotiations and signing and all of the delays caused by lack of attention on IARC side. Both us and the our surrogate got a bit frustrated during the process due to their slow responses.
The pregnancy was pretty much uneventful and our surrogate was on top of everything so we needed very little help from IARC.
I think the most frustrating part was the legal proceeding after the birth. We needed to wait almost 2 weeks to get a court date. On the communications with IARC we were led to believe that the reason for that was backlog in the court but later we learned the reason was that the leading attorney was on vacation and we actually needed to wait for him to come back! We would have expected to get to know this was the reason and be offered another attorney.
We also felt that the way they "surprised" with the additional legal fees toward the end of the process lacked transparency. We would have appreciated if they mentioned it from the beginning letting us the option to look for alternatives.
With all that said, we still feel the IARC is a good & trustworthy agency, if you decide to choose them you should just keep in mind those points.
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RESPONSE FROM IARC:
We thank these clients for thoughtfully posting this review. It is through feedback like this that we can assess and become the best choice for many aspiring parents! It is particularly gratifying that, despite their observations of possible improvements, these clients still maintain that they would recommend IARC to others. This client did, unfortunately, have a longer-than-estimated wait time for their surrogate match. Every effort is made to provide our intended parents with realistic expectations at the start of their journey; however, there are a few pieces that can be outside of IARC's control, despite our diligent efforts to keep the process moving along.
The specific factors in this case that were beyond IARC's control included:
*A wave of sign ups all at the same time that temporarily extended IARC's matching timeline
*Lengthy outside attorney reviews of the surrogacy contract
*A maternity leave of our associate attorney and an unexpected saturation of parentage hearings during the Thanksgiving holiday season, which left us without a backup during an unusually busy time
We are continuing to focus on lowering surrogate matching timelines, maintaining up-to-date comprehensive cost estimates, and maintaining transparent communication with all parties. These are priorities in IARC's core values. |
(2016, International parents) IARC was very professional and helpful throughout this journey. I really have no complaints about their capability or service level. |
(2017, USA parents) IARC were so helpful. Our co-ordinator Kim kept in touch with us and our gestational surrogate throughout the process and facilitated clear communication. |
(2018, International parents) IARC has been an excellent partner in building our family. We cannot describe fully how wonderful they have been. |
(2018, International parents) make me have a large bill for failed surrogate medical screening and also IVF procedure, IRAC sells package with particular clinic and grab moneny
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RESPONSE FROM IARC:
We first want to express that we are sorry this client ended the process with these feelings. It is extremely important to us that we are immediately available when unexpected situations arise, so this review comes as a surprise and is out-of-character from the positive experiences listed here. Our values include giving personalized care to address each client's needs successfully, as well as being accountable if we could have prevented an undesirable outcome.
In direct response to this review, we give each client multiple clinic recommendations. Our recommended clinics are based on objective factors (success rates, cost, past clients' experiences). This assessment is made annually, as clinics change over time. We work with each client to understand their criteria and recommend clinics best suited for them. Regarding costs for failed surrogate medical screening, this is extremely uncommon based on our extensive prescreening process and the clinic approving the surrogate's records before incurring that cost. However, unpredictable results can arise. We charge no additional fees for rematching (in any situation) and advocate for discounts to reduce costs at the clinic whenever warranted. We welcome this client to contact us and are sincerely disappointed their process ended with these unresolved feelings. |
(2019, International parents) A very good agency but has a long queue. Hence even if you want to transfer only a single embryo, you must wait a year or more till you are introduced to a potential surrogate.
A post birth order is common in their practice. this enables one to use the surrogate medical insurance for the newborn, if needed. In addition, if you are a citizen of a European country, which requires a mother name on the birth certificate, one can get two birth certificates. The first with the surrogate's name. After a court process one receives a second certificate without her name, which is good for the USA and Israel. |
(2020, International parents) Surrogacy can be a long and intricated process, and imagine it combined with a world pandemic! We are so happy to have had IARC with us in this journey as they are very knowledgeable and helped us in every step of the process. Communication has been great: clear, fluent and fast. We totally recommend IARC and we are truly grateful of the great support we have received from our coordinator and everyone at IARC. They made us feel like a family. The matching process might take a bit longer than other agencies, but they matched us with the best surrogate ever. We will for sure choose them if we were to do surrogacy again. |
(2020, USA parents) Super responsive, professional, caring, my surrogate match could not have been better. Highest recommendations. |
(2020, USA parents) The staff at IARC were incredibly professional, detailed and highly competent. Their communication skills exceeded our expectations and made the journey so much easier. Everyone we dealt with at IARC was kind, compassionate and supportive - it felt like we inherited an entire team of support staff. |
(2021, International parents) A journey to parenthood is a very personal. Setting out on this road, you want to be surrounded by people who make you feel that they have your back. We are very lucky that IARC, and with it the many persons behind the name, has crossed our path. We were promised that we would become part of a larger family, and so it happened. We are now part of the IARC-family.
All along our journey we were expertly guided by our case coordinator and the legal team. Every question was answered, every 'difficulty' was dealt with, even when the -obligatory and inescapable- paperwork seemed overwhelming or when our travel documents needed to be applied for. Every promise IARC made, they have kept.
If our journey as such wasn't already unusual enough, COVID19 was present to spice up the mix. In afterthought though, back home holding our baby, the whole experience has felt like the proverbial 'walk in the park' for us. We are grateful for the dedication and warm care of the people who made this 'walk' possible, even under said circumstances.
Our gratitude is borderless.
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(2022, USA parents) Despite several failed embryo transfers and a surrogate rematch, IARC has been very supportive and flexible during our journey, making the obstacles more bearable. We ended up having a beautiful healthy baby boy. |
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Fertility clinic used |
Value |
Count |
Percent |
CT Fertility |
10 |
0.238 |
Markham |
7 |
0.167 |
Other |
7 |
0.167 |
San Diego Fertility Center (SDFC) |
7 |
0.167 |
Fertility Center of Las Vegas |
4 |
0.095 |
La Jolla IVF |
2 |
0.048 |
New England Fertility Institute |
2 |
0.048 |
ORM Fertility |
1 |
0.024 |
RMA NJ (also IVF NJ) |
1 |
0.024 |
Shady Grove Fertility |
1 |
0.024 |
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Statistics |
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Total Responses |
42 |
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Other clinic |
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Count |
Response |
1 |
CFA |
2 |
CT Fertility |
1 |
Center for Reproductive Medicine |
1 |
La Jolla IVF |
1 |
RMIA - Woodbury, MN |
1 |
Virginia IVF and Andrology Center |
1 |
shady grove |
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Journey statistics for service provider |
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Overall cost of surrogacy journey |
Value |
Count |
Percent |
$50,000 - $69,000 |
2 |
0.046 |
$70,000 - $89,000 |
9 |
0.205 |
$90,000 - $109,000 |
12 |
0.273 |
$110,000 - $129,000 |
7 |
0.159 |
$130,000 - $149,000 |
8 |
0.182 |
$150,000 - $169,000 |
3 |
0.068 |
$170,000 - $189,000 |
3 |
0.068 |
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Statistics |
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Total Responses |
44 |
Average |
114.1 |
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Number of IVF / IUI cycles done until journey resulted in a birth |
Value |
Count |
Percent |
One |
34 |
0.791 |
Two |
5 |
0.116 |
Five |
4 |
0.093 |
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Statistics |
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Total Responses |
43 |
Average |
1.5 |
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Length of journey from signup to birth (months) |
Value |
Count |
Percent |
10-12 months |
1 |
0.023 |
13-15 months |
4 |
0.091 |
16-18 months |
8 |
0.182 |
19-21 months |
3 |
0.068 |
22-24 months |
10 |
0.227 |
25-27 months |
5 |
0.114 |
28-30 months |
2 |
0.046 |
31-33 months |
5 |
0.114 |
34-36 months |
3 |
0.068 |
More than 3 years |
3 |
0.068 |
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Statistics |
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Total Responses |
44 |
Average |
24.2 |
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Known / Anonymous egg donation |
Value |
Count |
Percent |
Unknown |
19 |
0.514 |
Known |
10 |
0.27 |
Other |
8 |
0.216 |
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Statistics |
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Total Responses |
37 |
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Open-Text Response Breakdown for 10491 |
Count |
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37 |
Known idenity but no obligation or willingness to meet our children |
1 |
Known. She and her mother have already met the child |
1 |
Semi anonymous |
1 |
anonymous but had skype contact |
1 |
in regular contact with her and her parents |
1 |
we don\'t know her, she may be willing to meet our child |
1 |
Hope she will place herself on a registry to be contacted; clinic wiling to refer correspondence. |
1 |
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Egg donation source |
Value |
Count |
Percent |
Intended mother (no donor) |
2 |
0.051 |
Surrogacy agency |
6 |
0.154 |
Independent Egg donation agency |
5 |
0.128 |
Fertility clinic |
26 |
0.667 |
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Statistics |
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Total Responses |
39 |
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Demographics / family makeup |
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Gay / straight |
Value |
Count |
Percent |
LGBT |
36 |
0.857 |
Straight |
6 |
0.143 |
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Statistics |
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Total Responses |
42 |
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Countries |
Value |
Count |
Percent |
United States |
19 |
0.442 |
Israel |
14 |
0.326 |
Germany |
2 |
0.047 |
Switzerland |
2 |
0.047 |
Belgium |
1 |
0.023 |
Hong Kong |
1 |
0.023 |
Italy |
1 |
0.023 |
Philippines |
1 |
0.023 |
Spain |
1 |
0.023 |
United Kingdom |
1 |
0.023 |
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Statistics |
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Total Responses |
43 |
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