Now that you’ve decided you want to use surrogacy to grow your family, you’re likely trying to decide what type of surrogacy you’ll pursue: Surrogacy without an agency or surrogacy with the support of an agency.
Contact a surrogacy professional today to find out the many benefits surrogacy agencies provide.
While surrogacy without an agency is possible, it’s important to consider the potential benefits you might be missing out on. This detailed guide can help you make this critical decision. Consider the following information about independent surrogacy before starting your surrogacy journey.
What is Independent Surrogacy?
Independent surrogacy is when the intended parents (you) and a surrogate decide to go through their surrogacy journey on their own.
How Does Surrogacy Work Without an Agency?
When intended parents decide to pursue surrogacy without an agency, they must complete all surrogacy steps alone. The following are some of the tasks every surrogacy journey has:
- Complete your pre-surrogacy screening and arrange for a potential surrogate to get screened, too.
- Advertise your family and find a surrogate to work with.
- Locate an attorney to create your surrogacy contract.
- Arrange for meetings with the surrogate and determine how often you’ll get together before your child’s birth.
- Navigate the medical portion of your surrogacy journey.
Who Should Choose Independent Surrogacy
There are two groups of people who may try to pursue surrogacy without an agency.
These people are:
- People who have completed a surrogacy journey before
- Intended parents who have found a surrogate on their own
But, it’s essential to know that all surrogacy journeys go smoother when a surrogacy agency is involved.
What Surrogacy Without an Agency Looks Like
Before choosing to pursue surrogacy on your own, prepare for the solo journey by considering what surrogacy without an agency looks like. Take note of the following things:
- Required services may be harder to coordinate: As intended parents, you’ll need to undergo surrogacy screening while also screening potential surrogates. This will require you to obtain and protect a lot of personal information, which can be difficult for people without a medical or law background.
- The cost of surrogacy without an agency adds up: Although you may save some money by completing some surrogacy tasks on your own, you may spend more for your surrogacy because you’ll be paying by-the-hour rates rather than the flat rates agencies offer.
- You have to navigate the surrogacy process alone: You’ll need to figure out how to find a surrogate without an agency, what fertility clinic to work with, and more.
What Surrogacy With an Agency Looks Like
As you can see, working with a surrogacy agency can take a lot of the stress and work out of crafting and finishing a surrogacy journey.
When you work with a surrogacy agency, you can enjoy the following benefits:
Predictable Surrogacy Fees
Surrogacy agencies often present intended parents with fixed fees that ensure standard surrogacy costs are set. If you choose to pursue surrogacy without an agency, you will likely have to pay by-the-hour fees that are more expensive.
Generally, surrogacy agency fees cost anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000. This typically covers:
- Agency and case management fees
- Gestational carrier fees
- Medical fees
- Legal fees
Surrogacy agencies also will clearly outline all variable costs, like:
- IVF fees
- Newborn expenses
- Intended parent travel
- Surrogate breast milk
- Varied surrogate expenses
- Intended parent outside counsel
The cost of surrogacy without an agency can be high.
Quicker Matching Times
You’ve waited a long time to grow your family. And if you try surrogacy without an agency, it could take longer to find the right match.
Surrogacy agencies work with women who are:
- Pre-screened
- Ready to start the surrogacy process
Surrogacy agencies also have national outreach programs, which can help you find the right surrogate.
The length of your wait for a match can vary depending on the surrogacy agency you work with. For example, some agencies have wait times of 12 to 18 months. Based on market research, we found that American Surrogacy is offering the shortest match times at 30 to 90 days from activation to match.
A Surrogacy Professional Supports You
Doing surrogacy without an agency means you won’t have a surrogacy professional who supports you through every step of your journey.
A surrogacy agency will pair you with a surrogacy professional that will provide:
- Practical guidance
- Emotional guidance
A surrogacy professional will also help you coordinate essential surrogacy services with other professionals. This allows you to focus on your surrogacy journey and place energy toward planning for your baby’s arrival.
Starting Your Surrogacy Journey
Surrogacy is a life-changing process, and finding the best surrogacy agency is the key to ensuring you have the surrogacy experience you deserve. You can contact a surrogacy professional today to start your journey.
