Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauri de Brito
Hi Lauri, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
More than 20 years ago, Kathryn Kaycoff and I were each dealing with our own infertility struggles. I had secondary infertility (having given birth to my daughter when I was 38) – and after 6 years of doing IUIs, IVFs, and Egg Donation, all I had to show for it was 8 miscarriages, a broken heart, and a very depleted bank account. Kathryn was going through just as many heartaches trying to get pregnant for the first time. Kathryn and I were close friends, and we had both moved from the East Coast to the West Coast to work in television. We were both successful television producers, but we each longed to be mothers. Kathryn was the first one to turn to Surrogacy – her fertility doctor recommended it. At the time, none of my fertility doctors suggested it to me because the theory back then was if you already carried once, then it would eventually happen again. When Kathryn’s Surrogate was pregnant with identical twin boys, my husband (now my ex) and I decided to follow course. We found a Surrogate and with the help of an Egg Donor, she became pregnant. We started our agency for a few reasons – first, neither of us wanted to go back to working the hectic life of a television producer/writer – we finally had our babies and we wanted to be moms. Second, we had learned so much through our struggles and journeys, that it was a natural progression to want to help others navigate the same course. Especially since back then, Surrogacy was not well-known (there were no celebrities doing it) and Egg Donation was never discussed in public. We started the agency – never expecting it to become what it is today. We took our pain and turned it into something incredible – we help Intended Parents from around the world (including a large LGBTQ population) create families through Surrogacy and Egg Donation. We’ve built an extremely successful agency with a stellar, worldwide reputation. We have an incredible group of employees – and we all work tirelessly because this is truly our shared passion.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Just like a typical Surrogacy journey, there were some bumps along the way as we built our company. Surrogacy/Egg Donation are expensive endeavors for any Intended Parent – and interestingly enough, we could always predict how the global economy would be doing 6-12 months down the road – based on where most of our Intended Parents were coming from.
When the US economy was at its lowest, we ended up having many more international Intended Parents than when the American economy started picking up (especially in comparison to global economies falling, we got an increased share in domestic Intended Parents).
COVID hit us particularly hard – as it did most people. Business was very slow (although we still had to work because we had pregnant Surrogates who were going to give birth). We were fortunate to get PPP loans, Kathryn and I stopped taking paychecks and we cut our employees back to part-time. By doing this, we managed to weather the storm. The good news is that our business – which is mostly run remotely – was able to easily adapt to the new business ‘standard.’ After the pandemic, we got rid of our office space, there was no need for it. We were able to bring all of our staff back to full-time and even saw the immediate need to add people.
We’ve also been able to build and grow our business as we (Kathryn and I) weathered personal struggles – divorces, illnesses, etc. To be honest, all of this has made for an even stronger, more compassionate company. Twenty years later, we still love what we do and it shows!
We’ve been impressed with The Fertility Agency , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Fertility Agency has been helping create families since 2004, which means we are one of the longest-standing agencies in the world. The Fertility Agency has helped bring over 1200+ babies into the world—but we are so much more than just the thousands of matches, babies, Surrogates, and Egg Donors.
One of the keys to our success is that our assistance to you comes from the heart. Whether you are a Surrogate, Egg Donor, or Intended Parent we know what you are going through because 100% of our staff have either experienced, assisted with, or will face fertility struggles.
We are an international full-service Egg Donor and Surrogacy agency based in Los Angeles California, whose goal is to honestly and professionally help create families where each person involved feels heard, safe, cared for, and supported throughout the entire process. We work with all Intended Parents, Surrogates, and Egg Donors no matter their sexual preference, relationship status, ethnicity, location, etc. Our personal experiences and years of expertise provide us with the perfect balance of business and passion.
Kathryn Kaycoff and Lauri de Brito (The Fertility Agency co-owners) underwent numerous IVF cycles, many miscarriages, a combined total of 200+ embryos, 5 Gestational Surrogates, and 6 Egg Donors (and a partridge in a pear tree) before we were blessed with our babies. Sadly, part of our struggle was not just the failure to get and keep a pregnancy, but the lack of supportive and reliable resources for us to turn to.
In creating The Fertility Agency, it was our dream to build the type of agency that we wish had been there for us on our journeys. It began as a labor of love, and we continue to run our agency with the same intentions and professionalism since 2004. We are always available to our Intended Parents, Surrogates, Egg Donors, and staff for advice, support, and personalized care.
In this day and age, it is extremely important to work with an agency that you can trust. So, rest assured, our agency has never been sued or had legal action taken against us. We work honestly and transparently and are confident you will quickly see the difference in the way we do business.
Both Lauri and Kathryn (and many of our staff) had years of business experience before devoting themselves to helping others on their fertility journeys. The country’s top infertility clinics, psychologists, attorneys, and support personnel agree to recognize our unique combination of heart, head, and experience as well as support and trust us by regularly referring their Intended Parents, Egg Donors, and Surrogates to work with us.
Our expertise and passion for what we do has led us to become sought-after speakers at fertility conferences around the world and online. We’ve written and appeared in numerous news and magazine articles, on radio, and television. We have also created Global IVF, Inc., an informational resource for Intended Parents interested in traveling for fertility treatments.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you are a person struggling with infertility or if you are ‘fertility-challenged,’ we are here to help you become parents. We can personally assist you with building your family through Surrogacy and/or Egg Donation. We can also refer any potential Intended Parents to the best doctors, clinics, reproductive attorneys, escrow companies, reproductive therapists, etc in the country.
If you are a woman who is interested in becoming either a Surrogate or an Egg Donor, we can help you determine if this is something you are medically and psychologically suited to do. If the answer is yes, we can help match you with the perfect Intended Parents and personally assist you throughout the entire journey.
Lauri and Kathryn are always available to speak to the public – in any capacity. One of their key goals is (and always has been) to educate and remove the stigma of creating your family through assisted reproduction.
Pricing:
- a surrogacy journey will cost Intended Parents between $165,000 – $225,000 overall. This includes the following: agency fee, surrogate base fee & benefits package, IVF/medical costs, surrogate health insurance (to cover the pregnancy & delivery), legal fees, escrow fees, potential egg donor costs, etc.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thefertilityagency.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_fertility_agency
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFertilityAgency/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefertilityagency9427
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/eggdonoragent
