Klein Connects Prospective Parents to Eggs & Surrogacy
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Klein Connects Prospective Parents to Eggs & Surrogacy

Sabra Orly Klein works especially in the Jewish, LGBTQ+ and Israeli communities.

After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.

Sabra Orly Klein matches egg donors and surrogates with intended parents. 
Sabra Orly Klein matches egg donors and surrogates with intended parents. 

Orly Klein’s journey with surrogacy began a few years back when she volunteered to support international parents in navigating their fertility journeys. She became known as “savta,” or surrogate grandmother. Now she operates the VIP boutique agency ALMA, working with a limited number of clients to connect egg donors and surrogates with intended parents.

Klein started during the pandemic in specific cases where parents couldn’t travel to the U.S. where she could obtain court orders as temporary guardian to pick up newborns and care for them in her home until their parents were free to travel. She also volunteered as a fertility buddy with the Jewish Fertility Foundation (JFF), which supports women facing infertility and undergoing IVF.

Having faced her own fertility challenges, she connected with these women and said, “I believe that every person should have the opportunity to pursue their dream of parenthood – and my mission is to support them.”

Klein’s work varies by case. For some, she guides them through each step from the beginning. If they need an egg donor, she connects them with an agency or arranges for an in-house donor through clinics. Other cases include couples who have viable embryos, but the woman may be unable to carry a pregnancy due to medical or gynecological reasons, so they seek out a surrogate. This could be same-sex couples, or an individual.

Once the embryos are ready and tested, she matches them with the right surrogate. Thus, the surrogacy process is available to heterosexual couples, individuals, and same-sex couples. Intended parents provide the gestational carrier with a base compensation, which currently ranges from $50,000 to $55,000 for a first-time surrogate. Intended parents cover all pregnancy-related expenses, as specified in the contract. Funds are held in escrow and distributed to the surrogate monthly. Surrogacy is conducted under a contractual agreement.

Klein poses with Alexandra Wetzel, one of her coordinators, at a SEEDS for Society for Ethics meeting.

Especially adept at working in the Jewish sphere, Orly related, “For Orthodox Jews who require an egg donor, I can provide a Jewish donor with rabbinical certification. The entire clinical process, from fertilization to embryo transfer to the surrogate, can be overseen by Puah, ensuring it aligns with religious guidelines. “Puah” is a Canaanite name for “little girl” and stems from the midwife, Puah (Miriam), who refused to kill Hebrew males as ordered by Pharaoh. Puah is now an institute that focuses on halakah, Jewish law. Another view by Martin S. Cohen, from “The Observant Life,” poses that in order to prevent inadvertent incest, some prefer a non-Jewish donor.

The process of selecting surrogates conjures up images of leafing through notebooks looking for genetic qualities. Intended parents can indeed select donors based on appearance (like eye and hair color), academic achievements, family medical history, and genetic profiles. Donor photos are available. Although they cannot meet the donor, parents may choose either an open donation, allowing the child the option to contact the donor upon reaching 18, or a fully anonymous donation. Whether parents choose to share the surrogacy story with their child is a personal decision.

Intended parents can request multiple births, but most doctors no longer recommend it, according to Klein. All procedures take place at a clinic, where the intended father can either provide sperm in person or have it shipped in compliance with FDA regulations.

Orly believes she is the only Israeli who owns a surrogacy agency and manages the entire process from start to finish. She defines ALMA as “a comprehensive destination, providing everything intended parents need under one roof, with complete transparency and personal, compassionate touches. As a dedicated fertility and surrogacy consultant, I provide unwavering support and guidance, especially within the LGBT, Jewish, and Israeli communities.”

Orly was born and raised in Israel and moved to Johns Creek 11 years ago. For more information, please visit www.almasurrogacy.com.

Recommendations for female gestational carriers:

* Age 21 – 40
* Had at least one healthy pregnancy and delivery
* Legal U.S. resident
* Live in a surrogacy-friendly state
* BMI of up to 32
* Had no more than TWO cesareans
* Be in overall good health
* Non-smoker/no drugs
* Stable home environment with supportive relationships
* Not receiving welfare
* If a Jewish surrogate is needed, she must be unmarried

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