Semafor published a reported piece examining how surrogacy has become increasingly common among tech workers and founders in Silicon Valley. The story explores how the concentration of wealth and employer-sponsored fertility benefits in the tech sector has made gestational surrogacy more accessible and socially normalized in that community.
Worth watching. As surrogacy becomes embedded in workplace culture at major employers, the policy and insurance landscape around it is shifting fast, and what is available to you depends heavily on where you work.
Cofertility's frozen egg donation program has joined the Progyny network, making it accessible to employees whose employers offer Progyny's fertility benefits. The partnership expands the reach of egg donation as an employer-sponsored benefit, connecting donors and recipients through a workplace benefits structure.
If your employer offers Progyny benefits, it is worth checking whether egg donation or recipient matching is now included. Coverage details vary by employer plan.
Additional outlets across Asia, Europe, and social media continued covering Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten's announcement that he and his fiancé, Argentinian hockey player Nicolás Keenan, are expecting a child via surrogacy in 2027. Coverage has expanded to include questions about whether surrogacy remains legal across EU member states, given that its legal status varies significantly by country.
This one is interesting precisely because of the legal question the EU coverage raises. The Netherlands permitting surrogacy does not mean it is legal across the EU, and the international conversation Jetten has sparked may accelerate regulatory discussions in countries where the legal status is still unsettled.
Philadelphia Magazine published a consumer-focused guide for people considering egg donation, covering key considerations prospective donors should understand before moving forward. The piece is aimed at a general audience thinking about the process for the first time.
A useful read to share with anyone in your life exploring donation. First-time donors especially benefit from plain-language overviews before their first clinic consultation.
Miracle Surrogacy announced it will attend the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 2026 Congress, Expo, and President's Gala in Baltimore. The agency, which hosted nearly 50 private consultations in Manhattan earlier this month, continues an active fall outreach schedule.
ASRM is one of the most important annual gatherings in reproductive medicine. If you are early in your journey, events like this can be a good way to meet agencies and clinics in person.
The most interesting thread today is how employer benefits infrastructure is quietly becoming a primary on-ramp into surrogacy and egg donation, while public figures like Rob Jetten are simultaneously making the topic visible at a policy level. Cofertility joining Progyny is a small announcement with large implications: when fertility services route through HR departments, access expands for some people and the terms of that access are set by employers, not individuals.
Know ThisFresh vs. Frozen Embryo Transfers in Surrogacy
When an embryo is ready to be transferred to a surrogate's uterus, intended parents will encounter two options: a fresh transfer or a frozen transfer. In a fresh transfer, the embryo is created and placed into the surrogate's uterus within the same cycle it was fertilized. In a frozen transfer, the embryo is carefully frozen shortly after fertilization, stored, and then thawed at a later date for the transfer. While fresh transfers were once common, frozen embryo transfers — often called FETs — have become the clear standard in modern surrogacy, and for very good reason.
The shift toward frozen transfers happened because freezing technology, known as vitrification, has advanced dramatically. Vitrification flash-freezes embryos so quickly that ice crystals cannot form and damage the cells. Most high-quality fertility clinics today report thaw survival rates of 95% or higher, meaning the vast majority of frozen embryos survive the warming process intact and ready for transfer. For intended parents, this figure is an important one to ask your clinic about, as it reflects both the quality of their laboratory and the strength of the embryos themselves.
Freezing embryos also opens the door to PGT-A testing, which stands for Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidies. Before a frozen embryo is transferred, a few cells can be biopsied and analyzed to confirm the embryo has the correct number of chromosomes. Transferring a chromosomally normal embryo meaningfully improves the chances of a successful pregnancy and reduces the risk of miscarriage.
Even with all of these advancements, not every first transfer results in a viable pregnancy, and that is something every intended parent and surrogate should be emotionally prepared for. A failed transfer is not a failure of anyone involved — it is simply part of a process that often takes more than one attempt, and your care team will use each experience to guide the next step forward with greater precision and hope.
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