Starting the surrogate process can be overwhelming for intended parents. Here’s everything you need to know about the cost of surrogacy.
Many factors go into determining the overall cost of surrogacy. Intended parents should evaluate their specific circumstances to see what expenses will go into the process.
Related: 10 Steps to the California Surrogacy Process
What Are The Costs That Go Into The Surrogacy Process?
Related: How Much Surrogacy Costs in California
Agency Fees
Surrogacy professionals are paid agency fees, which cover all of the services provided by the agency, including background checks, screenings, support and education, advertising, marketing, and more. Agency fees remain fixed, regardless of how long it takes to complete the surrogacy process.
Advertising Services
Some intended parents may choose to work with someone they already know to be the designated surrogate, making them feel more comfortable with the process. Other intended parents decide to find a prospective surrogate using an agency’s advertising services.
Advertising expenses often make up a large portion of agency fees. Advertising expenses may be used for online advertising and traditional ads, networking with other surrogacy professionals, and more. Full-service agencies provide professional advertising services to find potential surrogates.
Matching Services
Agency’s matching services help prospective surrogates, and intended parents find each other after successfully reaching prospective surrogates through advertising services.
Matching expenses can cover intended parent and gestational carrier screening, background checks, medical evaluations, psychological evaluations, and home assessments to ensure everyone working with the agency is safe and ready to commit to the surrogacy process. These services are essential in finding a compatible match, which is very important in ensuring the success of the surrogacy process.
Counseling, Education, and Support
Surrogacy can be an emotionally taxing journey for all parties involved. Surrogacy professionals are experts in navigating the process and can provide all the education and resources intended parents and surrogates need to understand surrogacy. These services account for a small portion of the overall surrogacy cost but can provide crucial support for intended parents and surrogates throughout the process.
What Are Some Additional Circumstantial Expenses?
Legal Services
Legal contracts are necessary to outline each party’s responsibilities, surrogate compensation, and other terms. The surrogate and intended parents need their own attorneys to outline this contract and carry out other crucial legal services. Hiring an attorney can also be helpful depending on changing circumstances of the pregnancy.
Medical Expenses
Medical procedures throughout the surrogacy process are responsible for an extensive amount of overall expenses. These costs can add up quickly depending on the specific circumstances of the surrogate’s pregnancy and insurance.
Intended parents should pay for IVF treatments and fertility medications, which can vary based on the circumstances of the pregnancy. However, IVF treatments and fertility medications are necessary to achieve a successful pregnancy. Intended parents are also responsible for all prenatal care costs.
Surrogate Compensation and Reimbursement
Surrogate compensation is often one of the most significant expenses for intended parents. In addition to covering all of her legal, medical, counseling, and travel expenses, intended parents will provide base compensation and a monthly allowance to their surrogate to cover all pregnancy-related costs and compensate her for her time, energy, and sacrifices.
The amount of compensation a surrogate receives depends on many factors, including her experience with surrogacy, her insurance coverage, and the course of her pregnancy.
Examples of reasons to provide surrogate compensation include:
- Monthly allowance for pregnancy and surrogacy expenses
- Embryo transfer
- Maternity clothes
- Carrying multiples embryos
- C-section
- Termination or fetal reduction
- Invasive procedures
- Mock and canceled cycles
- Lost wages
- Bed rest compensation
- Loss of reproductive ability
How Should Intended Parents Calculate The Cost of Surrogacy?
As seen above, there are many factors to consider when determining the overall cost of surrogacy. Expenses can add up quickly, so intended parents must do careful research and consider multiple surrogacy professionals before choosing the financially right one for them. Speak with a surrogacy professional to determine your overall surrogacy costs while looking out for low estimates, recurring fees, hidden costs, and cut services, which you should avoid. Legitimate agencies will not include recurring fees or hidden costs etc. in contracts. Personalized research is necessary to determine cost estimates for intended parents.
Related: 5 Ways to Finance a Surrogacy
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If you or a loved one would like to know more about the cost of surrogacy, get your free consultation with one of our family law attorneys today!