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Circle Surrogacy launches unprecedented Guaranteed Baby plan, one of several innovative programs

The programs, including an Egg Bank, are a response to growing demand even in a bad economy

a baby born to MA parents in our program

Boston, April 2, 2009 -- Circle Surrogacy, one of the oldest full service surrogate-parenting agency in the USA, is launching a new line of surrogacy and egg donation programs, including the country's first "Guaranteed Baby" plan, and programs that provide cost savings through the use of an innovative frozen Egg Bank and Egg Sharing arrangements. The plans are being introduced amid a continued growth in the demand for the agency's service both in the USA and worldwide. The agency is embarking, beginning in April, on an eight nation tour to introduce the plans and meet prospective parents in NY, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Montreal, Atlanta and Madrid.

The "Guaranteed Baby" Program is offered in conjunction with Connecticut Fertility Associates (CFA), Circle's premium fertility center. The program guarantees that a client who follows the program guidelines will have a baby within three attempts or get most of their money back. "We are so confident in our services and of that of our key partner clinic," said John Weltman, Circle Surrogacy's president, "that we are the first agency in the world to stand behind our services with an offer like this. And best of all, the cost for this program is less than many other agencies charge for a single cycle!" Prospective parents undergo an egg donation cycle with an approved donor of their choosing, and if their first cycle fails, they are charged no extra fees for up to two additional retrievals and transfers, even if a new donor or carrier is needed. If they are not successful by the third try, all fees paid (except for out of pocket expenses – such as medications, travel and donor fees) will be refunded.

John Weltman, president Circle Surrogacy

The announcements are made as Circle Surrogacy is still experiencing remarkable growth: "over the last 6 months we had twice as many clients as we had in the same period last year," said Weltman, "and we doubled our staff to meet this demand." While the economy is still on people's mind, "we have found that for many the bad economy causes them to focus on their core desires, in this case, the desire to become parents" said Weltman. "We also find that people would like to know with more certainty how much the overall costs of the process will be. The "Guaranteed Baby" plan offers a way to control such contingency costs and even minimize their exposure in the very unlikely case they do not have a baby at the end."

"We have also been working with CFA to provide affordable surrogacy solutions based on innovative egg donation arrangements," said Weltman, "since we found that we can do so without compromising on success and quality." In 2008 Circle offered the first ever surrogacy plan with a frozen Egg Bank. The Egg Bank option involves a new and safe rapid freeze (vitrification) process and also the use of proven egg donors. The plan eliminates the wait and costs associated with the monitoring and synchronization of the donor and carrier, but offers a more limited egg donor selection. "We are pleased to report that this program has been extremely successful so far, with pregnancy rates that match and even exceed our success with fresh eggs" said Weltman. "This option allows our clients to save as much as $23,000 over fresh egg donor surrogacy, with at least the same results. In 2009, we are adding the Egg Sharing option (which is only slightly more expensive than the Egg Bank Option). This program allows clients to select from more donors and share the fresh eggs with another couple or with the Egg Bank. Both programs can also be used as fallback options to control costs for people who need a new donor at the last minute or after a failed cycle."

Barbara DeLeo

The agency's new COO, Barbara DeLeo, has also been working to collect feedback from clients to find ways to cut costs and improve the agency's more than a dozen other plans. "The new cost sheets the agency provides are more realistic and transparent than before," said DeLeo, "with more explicit guidelines to help prospective clients assess possible contingency costs." In 2009, Circle is also providing more choices of clinics, included one in the Boston area that has among the best success rates in the country for reduced rate IVF. "The charges by this clinic can be as much as $10,000 less than some of our other clinics, while providing the same high quality service," said Barbara. "To help reduce travel costs, we established more efficient travel protocols in cooperation with our partner clinics, and hired a prominent advertising agency to help recruit more carriers and donors who live closer to these fertility centers. Our clients now have the option to request a local donor and / or carrier, for savings of $5,000- $8,000."

About Circle Surrogacy

Since 1995, Circle Surrogacy has helped bring to the world over 350 babies, with unmatched success rates of close to 100% in clients becoming parents through egg donor surrogacy. Its dedicated staff of professionals is made up of lawyers, social workers, parents through surrogacy, and former surrogates and egg donors. Circle Surrogacy provides a choice of specialized clinics at locations throughout the country, a large selection of egg donors, swift matching with carefully screened surrogates, and a variety of flexible programs and financial options to suit its clients' unique family choices.

John Weltman, owner, founder is a Yale graduate and a nationally recognized expert in the field of reproductive law, including surrogacy and gay parenting.