One of the most common questions for any couple considering surrogacy to grow their family is how much does surrogacy cost?
Many couples are turning to surrogacy agencies to extend their family. But the process is not as simple as it sounds. The legal implications and financial troubles complicate the process a bit.
Your agency can guide you through the legal implications of surrogacy. But for the financial part, you need to be fully aware of what and how much you will need to invest in bringing your most valuable asset into the world.
Why Surrogacy?
Before we understand the ins and outs of surrogacy, let’s dig into the reasons why any couple would need a surrogate.
The most common reason – the inability to conceive naturally due to medical reasons. A couple can also consider surrogacy if the mother is potentially suffering from an illness or has suffered in the past – like breast cancer or any other contagious disease.
Some women may also have health risks associated with pregnancy; hence they avoid conceiving and carrying a child independently.
Surrogacy is a boon for Gay couples, lesbians, and single parents, who can easily extend their family with the help of a surrogate.
The Basics of Surrogacy
For someone who does not know the subject, let me explain it to you – surrogacy is of two types – traditional and gestational.
In Traditional Surrogacy
The surrogate mother donates her eggs for fertilization and is genetically related to the child she carries in her womb. Traditional surrogacy is practiced less due to the legal implications involved related to the surrogate’s right.
In Gestational Surrogacy
The surrogate mother has no genetic link with the child. The embryo is created using the donor eggs and sperm of the intended father or donor sperm. The surrogate only carries the child.
What is The Cost of Surrogacy?
Now, when you have the basic idea of surrogacy and who needs surrogacy, let’s talk about the different costs associated with surrogacy.
Several factors influence the surrogacy cost. To reach the exact estimate, you will need to understand the various impacting factors.
Gestational surrogacy cost involves agency fees and expenses. While the agency fees are static and can differ from agency to agency, the expenses include the costs borne by the surrogate during the term of surrogacy and thus are variable.
Let’s Quickly Cover The Different Cost Heads:
Agency Fees:
Surrogacy professionals charge these. It covers all the expenses/services provided by the agency – screening, background checks, support, education, advertising, etc.
It mostly remains fixed and may vary depending upon the agency and the country. Intended parents who choose to work with independent surrogates can save agency costs. However, then they miss out on several other agency services and benefits.
- Agency fees also include matching and counseling services.
- Matching services help intended parents find suitable surrogates.
Matching expenses include screening intended parents and surrogates, background checks, psychological evaluation, medical checks, home assessments, etc. The agency also provides education and counseling to the intended parents and surrogates.
This cost is also included in the agency fees. You can ask your agency to break down the agency fees to know more about the different types of costs associated.
Variable Expenses:
These expenses are highly dynamic and can change depending on several factors. Legal services are a part of variable expenses. The intended parents will need a legal attorney to handle the legal implications of surrogacy. The cost of hiring the attorney will depend on state laws and the level of work required. It also depends on the type of surrogacy you choose. For example, in the case of traditional surrogacy, your attorney would also need to work on terminating the surrogate’s parental right to the child.
In genetic surrogacy, the intended parents must complete the legal adoption process to have complete parental rights to the child.
Medical expenses also form a part of variable expenses.
The surrogacy cost estimation depends on several factors; hence it is difficult to quote a fixed amount. Most agencies charge between $80,000 to $1,50,000. Knowing these factors will help you in choosing the right surrogate professionals.
