Choosing a Professional

What are Surrogacy Programs?

Surrogacy agencies and clinics often have different surrogacy programs to help you through different parts of the surrogacy process.

Financing programs
Counseling programs
Sperm and egg donation programs

Contact a surrogacy professional to get information about how surrogacy agencies and clinic programs can help you through your surrogacy journey.

In the meantime, continue reading about how some of these valuable surrogacy programs work.

Financing Surrogacy Programs

On average, intended parents pay $100,000 to $250,000 on their surrogacy journey. It’s common to need financial assistance to afford these fees. Some common financial surrogacy programs intended parents use are:

Using a Loan to Pay for Surrogacy

Loans are a common way for intended parents to pay for surrogacy. According to American Surrogacy, a national surrogacy agency, there are specific loans intended parents can take out to pay for a surrogacy program.

The following companies offer fertility financing loans:

You also could consider asking family and friends for loans. The people in your life know how much you want to become a parent and can help you reach your parenthood goal.

Research Surrogacy-Related Grants

Surrogacy grant programs give money to intended parents looking to grow their families. Each of these surrogacy programs has different requirements, so research which grants you may best qualify for.

A few surrogacy grants you can consider applying for include:

Surrogacy Fundraising

Intended parents also can consider fundraising to build their family. Some common fundraising strategies include:

Online crowdfunding
Hosting a community event and encouraging donations
Turning a hobby (like freelance writing or jewelry making) into a business

Counseling Surrogacy Programs

Surrogacy agencies can provide intended parents with different types of counseling before and during the surrogacy process.

Infertility Surrogacy Counseling

Many intended parents experience difficulties getting pregnant. This is one of the many reasons intended parents choose to grow their families through surrogacy programs.

It’s common for intended parents to experience infertility grief after trying to conceive. We want to tell you that infertility is not your fault and infertility is common. According to the Cleveland Clinic:

One in three women experiences infertility
One in three men experiences infertility
One in three couples experience infertility for an unknown reason

Just because infertility is common doesn’t make it any easier to accept. That’s why it’s essential to know that surrogacy program professionals can provide infertility counselor references. These counseling services can help you determine when you’re ready to move from infertility to surrogacy.

Surrogacy Counseling

Surrogacy professionals also can assist you throughout your surrogacy journey. Look for a surrogacy agency that employs licensed social workers to ensure you get the support you need.

Sperm and Egg Donation Surrogacy Programs

Intended parents may choose to use gamete donor surrogacy programs for different reasons. You may choose to use a donor if:

You or your partner (or both of you) need to use a donor
You are in a same-sex partnership

You are a single intended parent

Intended parents can find gamete donors in a few ways.

Through your fertility clinic: If you’re already working with a fertility clinic, you can ask them if they have an in-house gamete donation program or if they work with a specific gamete bank.
Through a surrogacy agency: If you aren’t working with a fertility clinic, most surrogacy agencies have gamete banks they trust and can refer you to.

Things to Consider When Working With Donor Gamete Surrogacy Programs

Although people do work with anonymous donors, it’s recommended that intended parents use donors that are identified.

Using identified donors has many benefits, including:

Knowing your donor or donors allows you to tell your child about their extended family.
Having a donor’s medical history can significantly help your child as they grow up and can provide life-saving information.

Are You Ready to Start Your Surrogacy Journey?

Now that you know the different surrogacy programs available, you may feel more confident about starting your family-building journey. Contact a surrogacy professional today to start your path to parenthood.