The Financial Aspect of Surrogacy

The cost of surrogacy should be taken into careful consideration before deciding if it is the best path for you and your loved ones. The cost of surrogacy varies depending on your specific circumstances and those of your surrogate mother.  Typically gestational surrogacy ranges from $60,000-$125,000. 

There are four main variables of costs involved in the surrogacy process:

·         Medical Procedures – the cost of IVF and medications will vary by clinic and also by the insurance coverage of the intended parents; The Surrogacy Experience encourages intended parents to understand their IVF clinics costs before proceeding.

·         Legal Expenses: The intended parents will be required to retain legal counsel to draft the surrogacy agreement between themselves and their surrogate mother and to prepare the proper documentation for the birth order.  The surrogate mother will have the right to separate legal counsel to review the surrogacy agreement on her behalf to protect her health and interests. The expense will be covered by intended parents.

·         Surrogate Mother Compensation and Expenses: First time surrogate mothers typically receive compensation of $18,000 - $23,000, while experienced surrogate mothers can receive up to $29,000.  Other example expenses may include travel and accommodations, a life insurance policy and a maternity clothing allowance for the surrogate mother. All the detailed compensation and expenses for the surrogate mother will be outlined in the surrogacy agreement before any medical procedures commence.

·         Agency Fee: At The Surrogacy Experience, we offer a comprehensive, all inclusive service offering to simplify the budgeting process for intended parents. As part of our service offering we include initial consultations to help with the decision making process, access to pre-screened surrogate mothers, coordination of medical and legal matters, escrow management, facilitation of all travel arrangements and assistance with insurance-related matters.

We strive to deliver a personalized experience with a surrogacy program tailored to your requirements from surrogate mother nutritional programs to detailed birth plans and post-birth support. Please contact us to learn more about the costs involved in gestational surrogacy and if this right path for you and your family.

http://www.thesurrogacyexperience.com/ 

Traditional Surrogacy vs. Gestational Surrogacy

There are two types of surrogacy, traditional and gestational. Each type encompasses different emotional aspects, medical procedures, costs, and legal procedures. If you are researching to become a traditional or gestational carrier or an intended parent exploring using a carrier, it is important to understand the definition of each.

Traditional surrogacy occurs when a woman carries a child conceived from her own egg with the intention of granting parental rights over the child to another party following birth. Donor sperm may be used; however the surrogate mother in a traditional surrogacy arrangement is genetically related to the child.

In gestational surrogacy, a woman carries a child conceived from an egg that is not her own. A gestational surrogate, commonly referred to as a surrogate mother, has no genetic relationship to the child she carries. Eggs are extracted from the intended mother or egg donor and mixed with sperm from the intended father or sperm donor. The embryos are then transferred into the uterus of the surrogate mother.

The Surrogacy Experience only handles gestational surrogacy arrangements. Advantages of gestational surrogacy often include at least one genetic relationship to the child and a more streamlined process in establishing parental rights, depending on the state. However, the medical process and as a result the costs involved in gestational surrogacy can be more involved than traditional surrogacy. If you are considering gestational surrogacy, please contact The Surrogacy Experience for more information about the important considerations involved in a gestational surrogacy arrangement.

Who will be your Surrogate Mother?

At The Surrogacy Experience we strive to provide intended parents and surrogate mothers the education and information needed to understand if gestational surrogacy is the best decision for them and their loved ones.  Once a couple or individual decide to move forward with surrogacy, we strive to match intended parents with surrogate mothers who best match their expectations and needs.

Surrogate mother candidates who meet a set of minimum criteria, including a resident of the US, non-smoker, has personal health insurance and is between the age of 22 and 43 years old, they are invited to complete an in-depth application. If the application meets our standards, our surrogate mothers are then rigorously pre-screened before they are eligible to be matched with intended parents.  This process includes a background check, initial psych evaluation, drug screening and an in-person meeting. This approach provides a level of mutual trust and respect that is essential to build the unique and special relationships that will develop over the surrogacy experience.

Both our clients and surrogate mothers create a profile, which include their personal and professional interests, to share with one another. We advise that each party include the type of relationship they envision having with their surrogate mother or parent(s) throughout the experience and after the birth. Naturally relationships evolve throughout the process but laying out your expectations is an important part of the process. If an intended parent expresses interest in a particular surrogate profile, we then share the intended parent profile with the surrogate.  If mutual interest exists, an introductory call will be facilitated by a TSE staff member.

Once a potential mutual match has been made and the intended parents and surrogate mother have agreed to continue, additional pre-screening steps may be required by the IVF clinic. Once all testing and the additional pre-screening steps are completed, the intended parents and surrogate mothers will proceed with the medical process. 

Visit the Surrogacy Experience website to find out more about our surrogacy program and agency services. 

Interested In Egg Donation?

Are you interested in becoming an egg donor? TSE’s surrogacy and egg donation program strives to match intended parents with the highest quality egg donors, while supporting and guiding egg donors through the entire process. We customize the process to fit the needs of our intended parents by offering both anonymous and open or known donations. 

What Qualifications must donors meet?

• Between 21-29 years of age (up to 31 for experienced donors)
• BMI under 29
• No use of illegal drugs, cigarettes or alcohol abuse
• College education preferred
• No reproductive disorders
• Knowledge of family and medical history
• Comfortable with giving yourself daily injections
• Willing to undergo medical and psychological evaluations
• Regular monthly menstruation
• Willing to participate in an egg retrieval procedure that requires travel to another city or state with expenses paid by the intended parents

What is involved?

Donors who fulfill our initial requirements are required to undergo rigorous pre-screening steps. The first step is an initial psychological evaluation for donors with a mental health professional to ensure they understand the commitment and process involved in egg donation. Other requirements include a background check and drug screening. Lastly, egg donor candidates will undergo a medical evaluation by a reproductive endocrinologist in our network, including an ultrasound and blood work to ensure they are healthy and able to donate.

Once a donor is approved, they will be eligible to be matched with intended parents.  The donor’s profile is shared with intended parents based on their desired traits and characteristics. Once a donor’s profile is selected and a potential match exists, an egg donation agreement will be drafted which will detail out the donor’s privacy and compensation and establish parental rights for the intended parents.

Most IVF clinics will require the donor to complete additional medical, infectious disease and genetic screenings, as well as a more in-depth psychological evaluation before moving forward with the medical procedures.

Please visit The Surrogacy Experience website for more information on our surrogacy and egg donation programs!