As someone who has used surrogacy to build my family, I understand how difficult and scary it is to navigate the finances, so I will walk you through the key factors in surrogacy rates. My husband and I could not afford an agency, so we figured out how to do it on our own, which is called independent surrogacy. I priced out each step of the journey to see what the total cost would be and was shocked when it suddenly became within the realm of possibility.
The Cost of Surrogacy Without an Agency
It’s a huge misconception that you have to use an agency or that somehow it’s sketchy if you don’t. Ha! That’s what the agencies want you to believe. All you are doing is removing the middleman and opting to be the project manager for this venture yourself. You are not cutting corners. All of the professionals will still be involved including doctors, a lawyer for you, a lawyer for the surrogate and a psychologist or counselor. What you are cutting is someone making bank on this situation.
Surrogacy Rates – THE BIG FACTORS
- Surrogate Compensation: This is the big one! If you’re using an agency, this number will be $40,000 – $100,000. However, with independent surrogacy, many women want to help people like us and the compensation can range from nothing ($0) to $30,000 or so. That’s a big difference!
- Prenatal Care and Birth: Whether or not your surrogate has insurance that will cover the pregnancy is a HUGE consideration. Birth alone could be $15,000, so if she has good insurance, this is a major win! For us, this was a factor in how surrogacy would be possible or not.
Other Surrogacy Costs to Consider (Play a Smaller Role)
- IVF Fees: You still have to pay for IVF or FET, which could be $5k to $15k.
- Legal Fees: Legal fees factor in, but are not a huge factor in the overall cost. Legal could run you from around $5 to $10k.
- Other Expenses: Miscellaneous expenses, such as psychological evaluations, travel costs, insurance coverage, and any additional support services, should also be factored into the overall cost of independent surrogacy.
Detailed Cost Guide
To see all of the detailed surrogacy costs line by line, you can get my cost guide here. It lists every single possible cost and the range you would expect to pay.
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