For intended parents, surrogacy cost is a determining factor in the decision-making process. If you’re considering conceiving a child with the help of IVF and a surrogacy agency, required budget should be researched as one of your first steps.
The overall cost range of a surrogacy journey varies between $30,000 – $100,000, and sometimes even more. Since every couple and case is unique with different legalities, nationalities and medical processes at play, surrogacy cost is not the same for every intended parent.
For this reason, we provide individualized and personal guidance throughout. Individualized case management means our in-house team of experts thoroughly assesses each case; factoring in only what’s needed – including recommended and potential procedures, legal fees applying to marital status and nationality, as well as logistical costs so as to ensure our patients aren’t spending above what’s required. Certain fees, however; are baseline requirements and apply to every surrogacy journey. These fees include surrogate carrier compensation, fertility treatment cost, birth document issuance and legal fees, insurance cost and agency and administration fees. If you need guidance regarding the budget implications of your surrogacy journey you can start by considering the standard cost-incurring factors involved.
Surrogate carrier compensation
Your surrogate partner plays the starring role in surrogacy. To be sure, this life- giving person has decided to participate in a journey so as to share the joy of parenthood, but equally, she is entitled to base remuneration and a monthly
allowance in order to cover all pregnancy-related costs and compensation for her time, energy and sacrifice.
Surrogate carrier compensation varies and is influenced by several factors, including the course and outcome of the pregnancy. Compensation also fluctuates depending if your surrogate partner is experienced and well-accustomed to the process. This allowance ensures that she is fully covered health insurance-wise and can receive top prenatal and antenatal care. Also included in this cost is access to any and all outlets she may require to healthily and comfortably carry a baby to term; such as: self care treatments, transportation assistance, nutritious diet complements, exercise guidance, maternity clothing and any provisions needed to bolster domestic obligations and mental health.
Fertility treatment costs
Fertility treatment costs constitute the largest part of your surrogacy budget. Keep in mind this is cutting-edge science, but if you are new to the world of IVF the cost may appear staggering. There are many kinds of fertility treatments – and, as such, a wide range in cost. Intended parents, selected donors and/or surrogate partners pass through numerous screenings until just the right treatment pathway is designed. The IVF process can be long-term and costly, but if expertly mapped from the start, success is likely to be achieved.
Legal support costs
Unfortunately, surrogacy isn’t yet recognized everywhere and only has a regulated legal framework in certain countries. Countries that do have regulated surrogacy can also have a myriad of applicable laws, which complicate legal aspects. For this reason, every intended parent needs access to a legal professional experienced in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) law and surrogacy. This legal consult will weigh-in on matters related to marital status, country of birth, native country law and contractual enforceability. Intended parents benefit from this guidance throughout the surrogacy process – beginning at initial contract drafting to securing their parental rights and, finally, in ensuring an efficient exit and return home.
Agency and administrative costs
Your chosen agency carries the responsibility of helping you achieve your family- building goals. A surrogacy journey can take more than a year to coordinate, with much effort and energy expended from a wide team of dedicated individuals. Be Parent manages the entire surrogacy process from start to successful finish. Program management includes: screening and matching with your carrier and donor(s), accountancy, legal coordination to safeguard your document issuance, medical billing, education and consistent support throughout.
Miscellaneous costs
It’s important to note that there can also be less obvious expenses incurred during a surrogacy journey. As an example, if you’re pursuing surrogacy outside of your home country, you’ll need to factor travel expenses for gamete collection and ultimately your stay before, during and after birth. Traveling can be time- consuming, as well as expensive, so Be Parent has ensured to partner with trusted providers so as to make your journey less stressful and more affordable. It’s good to keep in mind though, regardless how all-inclusive any program may be, that there can be unexpected expenses along the way you might need to cover. These include: delays in your return home, taxi fare, baby gear and supplies in the birth country or nanny support. Try to allow for these in your budgeting; keep track of your funds and save a bit for a rainy day.
Why Be Parent?
Our team is very experienced. Not just because we’ve been working in the surrogacy field for years, but also because we’ve all been where you are right now – out of your depth, overwhelmed and a bit hopeless. This is is what drives us to do better and how we’ve built a patient base of intended parents in more than 40 countries in the last 5 years.
We’ve established our reputation as one of the most supportive agencies out there and a big part of ‘making miracles happen’ is keeping surrogacy as affordable as possible. With the goal of making payments transparent, our team provides our intended parents with discreetly calculated fees from program initiation to post- birth so they can see exactly where and how their money is being spent.
