How A Retired Surrogate Built A Safer Agency

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogateHeart to Hands’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hearttohandssurrogacy?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==She signed a surrogacy contract the night before embryo transfer even after a brand-new attorney told her not to and the story only gets more real from there. We’re joined by Adrienne Black, a retired surrogate with decades in family building, founder and CEO of Heart to Hands Surrogacy, and acting president of SEEDS (Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy). Adrienne takes us back to the early days when resources were scarce, agencies were hit-or-miss, and “you don’t know what you don’t know” could put a surrogate and her family at risk. We talk through the big shifts in IVF and embryology, including how genetic testing and single embryo transfer have changed outcomes and expectations. Adrienne also shares what she’s learned about intended parents’ vulnerability, the power imbalance that can show up in surrogacy, and why the best journeys happen when the surrogate and intended parents are supported as one unit. If you’re researching a surrogacy agency, becoming a surrogate, or starting as an intended parent, this conversation gives you concrete questions to ask about contracts, screening timelines, education, and who is really protecting your interests. Then we zoom out to the industry-level view: private equity, changing legislation, and why surrogacy can’t “fly under the radar” anymore. Adrienne explains what SEEDS does, how ethical standards are evolving across agencies and escrow, and why professionalism matters for every child’s origin story. Links we mention include Heart to Hands Surrogacy, Adrienne’s YouTube channel Surrogacy Queen, and our sponsor US Surrogacy LLC at us-surrogacy.com. Subscribe, share this with someone considering surrogacy, and leave a review with the question you want us to tackle next. Learn more:• Heart to Hands Surrogacy: https://hearttohandssurrogacy.com/• SEEDS: https://seedsethics.org/Send us Fan Mailhttps://stopsitsurrogate.com