Surrogacy is a modern way to build a family. As a surrogate, you can help people who are struggling with infertility, have medical conditions that prevent them from carrying their own baby, and the LGBTQ+ community fulfill their dreams of a family. With women like you, hopeful people can have a child of their own. Your choice to be a surrogate makes family dreams come true. Learn more about the people you can help on our blog Why Does Someone Need A Surrogate.
Because of the high success rate of surrogacy, more families are choosing surrogacy to have children, which now represents over 5% of all in vitro fertilization cycles based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But what is a surrogate? A surrogate mother is a woman who carries a child that she is not genetically related to for someone else. The most common misconception is that the surrogate and the baby have the same DNA, a surrogacy myth that is not true. ConceiveAbilities surrogates are gestational surrogates and are never related to the baby they are carrying. Learn more about what is surrogacy.
Becoming a surrogate is a deeply personal decision and we want to ensure you have a full understanding of the surrogacy process so you can make the right decision for you and your family. It’s not always easy to find a comprehensive and reliable research site about surrogacy. Check out our surrogacy guide Everything You Need to Know About Surrogacy to learn more about the surrogacy process. The Surrogacy Learning Center is also a great community to connect with experienced surrogates, intended parents, egg donors, and surrogacy professionals. Once you become a surrogate with us, you will join our members' only Surrogate Sisterhood group with other surrogates going through a surrogacy journey.
As the most experienced surrogacy agency, our job is to support you every step of the way. We are able to move with purpose, more quickly than any other agency, to serve your interests in achieving a healthy and successful surrogacy journey. Our proven process makes your dream of helping another family a reality. We are all-in as your partner in surrogacy.
Surrogacy is a labor of love and that is why we believe you deserve the best surrogate pay. Our All-In Surrogate Care and Compensation Package ensures all of your needs are met, financially and support wise. It’s a comprehensive package that ensures top pay, best protection and personalized care for each and every surrogate with ConceiveAbilities. Learn more about surrogate compensation and everything that is included in our All-In Surrogate Care and Compensation package.
Our proprietary matching process pairs you with the family you were meant to help who have shared values and expectations. Matching Matters® has a 97% success rate at first introduction, expediting your journey. Learn more on our blog collection How Do Surrogates Match with An Intended Family.
No, the baby is not related to the surrogate. A ConceiveAbilities surrogate has no genetic relation to the child she is carrying for another person.
Yes. When you go through the Matching Matters ™ process, we take into consideration your preferences, such as matching with a local family. Because of ConceiveAbilities size, experience, and success, we have intended parents throughout the United States. Our surrogates have also found that they can have close relationships with their intended family in long-distance matches as well. We do find through the process that you may start with one set of priorities and, as you learn more, prioritize other expectations and values.
We have made it easy for you to apply to become a surrogate in a short 5-minute survey. Watch this video to see how the surrogate application process works.
As a surrogate, having the support of your family is very important. You can connect with other surrogates on the Surrogacy Learning Center or contact an experienced surrogate to hear how they spoke with their spouses. Your husband may also enjoy reading My Wife Is A Surrogate and Meet The Men Behind Surrogacy.
As you research more about becoming a surrogate, connect with our surrogate advocates, women who are experienced surrogates and have volunteered to answer all of your questions about surrogacy. They will share with you their honest, authentic experience they had throughout their surrogacy journey.
No. As a surrogate, you are not liable for any hospital bills. If any issue comes up with medical payments, ConceiveAbilities will work with your intended parents, insurance and medical providers to resolve and pay the bill.
No. As a compensated gestational carrier working with ConceiveAbilities, you will not be genetically related to the child in any way.
Your team consists of Nurses, Licensed Mental Health Professionals, Past Surrogates, Egg Donors, Legal Experts in Assisted Reproductive Technology, Postpartum Experts to guide your fourth trimester recovery, and - at the center of that team - your Match Manager.
If you think you are disqualified to be a surrogate, we still encourage you to apply. Our team may be able to find a way for you to follow your dream of becoming a surrogate and, if you aren’t able to proceed, perhaps you have a friend that may qualify and your desire to help another family can be fulfilled by educating her. Learn more about surrogate mother requirements.
On average, the surrogate mother process takes between 15 to 18 months, however, any individual journey could take more or less time. Working with a reputable surrogacy agency like ConceiveAbilities with experienced subject matter experts that are fully dedicated to your journey is the key to expediting the experience and achieving your dream of helping another family.
We customize our qualification process to work at your pace, with no timing pressure, What timing works for you? Some potential GCs are motivated to move through the process quickly. Some potential GCs need time to process and learn. We are on your timeline. If you are looking to move quickly, we match a surrogate with a family every day.
Surrogacy is the most successful infertility treatment. If you choose to become a surrogate, you have a very good chance of having a successful surrogacy journey. Fertility expert Dr. Brian Kaplan talks more about Understanding Surrogacy Success Rates.
ConceiveAbilities recently hired research firm Accelerant Research to better understand surrogates. The firm surveyed 100 surrogates, more than 500 qualified surrogacy prospects and more than 1,000 women from the general population. Of the surrogates and qualified surrogacy prospects, Accelerant found:
“We found that the single biggest motivation for surrogates is the simple desire to help,” Nazca Fontes, CEO of ConceiveAbilities shared. “Eighty-seven percent said they find joy in helping others; 74 percent reported they are motivated by a sense of empowerment as a surrogate.” Research more reasons to become a surrogate on our blog collection Why Does Someone Become A Surrogate.
A surrogate is a woman who carries a baby for another person or a couple. The person who is trying to have a baby with the help of the surrogate is known as an intended parent. At ConceiveAbilities, we work with intended parents who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) so that the surrogate can carry a baby to whom she is not genetically or legally related. The surrogate is paid for her time and efforts by the intended parent(s) as part of their program with ConceiveAbilities. The embryo is created from the intended father’s sperm, or donor sperm, and the intended mother’s egg, or donor egg. When the baby is born, the intended parents are listed on the birth certificate as the legal parents and assume all responsibility for the child.
The process to become a surrogate mother involves six basic steps.
ConceiveAbilities will be your partner throughout each of these steps, allowing you to experience the joy of surrogacy while we manage the details to ensure your journey is successful and healthy. Our process is rooted in precision, support and compassion. We know how to look around the corner and anticipate the key decisions that are key to a great outcome, because we have years of experience with surrogates, families, physicians and experts across the country.
Women feel called to be surrogates for many unique reasons. Through our work with thousands of women, however, we do see some common insights about many surrogates:
Fertility expert Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron shared her experience with the amazing surrogates she has met during her medical practice in our video, Who Becomes A Surrogate. Would you like to learn more about why women find purpose in being a surrogate?
Please join us, right now, at the Surrogacy Learning Center, a one-of-a-kind community where you can collaborate about surrogacy with both newcomers and experts
Since no two surrogacy journeys are the same, rest assured that we will guide you, step-by-step and with full transparency, putting in place a roadmap for a successful and healthy outcome - one that helps another family build their family. Discover if surrogacy is a calling for you and one that will send you forward even stronger than you were before. Learn more about the surrogate matching process. You can also read more about how surrogates find families to match with on our collection: How Do Surrogates Find Intended Parents?
ConceiveAbilities is a leading surrogacy agency in the world. Not only do we have eight former surrogates on staff and nearly three decades of experience, we invest in the science behind it. We commissioned an independent research study to learn more about what moves a woman to become a surrogate. From your motivation, needs and desires to your decision process in becoming a surrogate, we have done the work to make sure our All-In Program reflects what you, the surrogate, needs. Why? Because we want to serve you better, exceed your expectations and create the safest and most rewarding experience. We build families with you.
78% (5 on a scale of 1 to 5) of our surrogates want to recommend another woman to be a ConceiveAbilities surrogate because of their outstanding experience with our agency and 56% (5 on a scale of 1 to 5) want to do another surrogacy journey. ConceiveAbilities is a leading surrogacy agency in the United States.
Thank you to ConceiveAbilities for being such an amazing support for myself and my family, for making a wonderful match and for caring about all of the gestational surrogates as if they were your own family. This experience has been one that has changed me as a person, mother, friend and wife.
ConceiveAbilities was definitely the best choice I could have made.
I cannot reiterate enough how wonderful you all are at ConceiveAbilities. You make theses incredible things come together so beautifully and for that I am so grateful.
I feel so blessed to be a part of the surrogate group and ConceiveAbilities. The support we are able to give and receive is such a beautiful thing.
ConceiveAbilities was incredible. I felt supported and confident through everything and I am happy to have the opportunity to work with them again.
I have been working with ConceiveAbilities for five years as a surrogate. Take it from me that all of the staff are amazing. Everyone from the owner down to the intake coordinators are approachable, respectful and caring. At every step of the process, they are there for you. Not just there, but really connected and involved in every aspect. You can tell everyone loves what they are doing. I am honored and proud to work with this agency.
Yes. You have to have at least one healthy pregnancy and delivery without complications. Doctors need to ensure your body is able to carry a healthy pregnancy.
A surrogate’s spouse or partner plays a vital role of support for the surrogate throughout her surrogacy journey. Watch surrogate Samantha share her perspective on her husband’s role in surrogacy.
All of ConceiveAbilities surrogates are gestational surrogates. The most common form of modern surrogacy is achieved with a gestational carrier. Unlike traditional surrogates, a gestational surrogate is a woman who undergoes in vitro fertilization and carries an embryo that was created with an egg from the intended mother (or donor) and sperm from the intended father (or donor).
Age, physical and mental health, previous pregnancies and US residency are basic qualifications you must meet to begin your surrogacy journey. Learn more about surrogate requirements and watch fertility expert Dr. Angie Beltsos explain the requirements to be a surrogate and why they are important. Don’t be discouraged if you think you may be disqualified to be a surrogate. Our experts will determine the next steps for you on your surrogate journey. You can also take this 5-minute survey to see if you meet the basic surrogate requirements.
Because more families are choosing surrogacy, surrogates are in high demand. To find out your personalized base surrogate pay, use our surrogate pay calculator.
Yes. For every woman you recommend to become a surrogate earns, you can earn up to $650. And, your referred surrogate also earns rewards. The further she progresses in her journey, the more you both earn. And you can earn unlimited referral bonuses with your personalized referral link! Learn more about our surrogate referral program.
Egg donor qualifications are not the same as requirements to be a surrogate. If you were interested in becoming an egg donor but did not meet the requirements, you may still be able to help someone grow their family by becoming a surrogate. Take our 5-minute survey to start your surrogacy journey.
With any pregnancy, it is important to prepare yourself. Surrogacy pregnancies are different from a pregnancy of your own. Learn more about getting ready to be a surrogate on our blog collection How Do Surrogates Prepare For a Successful Surrogacy Journey.
Yes. Your initial care will be provided by the intended parent's Fertility Center and, as needed, a local monitoring facility that we help you arrange. As the pregnancy progresses, the Fertility Center will release you for care to an OB/GYN and, under most circumstances, your own OB/GYN can then take primary responsibility for your care.
Depending on your location, long distance travel with a companion could be required. If you are required to travel, you can expect 2 to 3 trips lasting approximately 1 to 4 days in total.
No. The field of assisted reproductive technology, and especially embryology, has undergone a revolution in recent years. For most surrogacy journeys, one embryo is transferred, per transfer. Single Embryo Transfer (“SET”) is now the norm because so much more is known about embryo quality and because the resulting pregnancy is so much safer.
Typically, intended parents ask for a commitment from you for up to 3 embryo transfers, which allows most surrogates to become pregnant.
You are responsible for taking care of yourself, and we help and support you through that fourth trimester! The intended parents, by law, will have parental rights and responsibility to their child from the moment of birth .
When you become a surrogate, you will need a strong support system. We ensure you have personal support, while we also provide and connect you with professional support including a dedicated Match Manager along with legal, financial and emotional health experts. Our surrogates tell us that they feel strongest when they are able to connect with other surrogates. We foster surrogate-to-surrogate relationships through support groups and social communities. And the surrogate community extends beyond the special women who make this commitment – we also recognize the men behind surrogacy. Surrogacy is not a solo journey and you will want to lean on your partner, family and obstetrician for their input. We provide you the tools you need to have meaningful conversations with the people who matter most in your decision-making process. In addition to your Match Experience team, we provide a dedicated ConceiveAbilities Surrogate Sisterhood group to interact with you during your surrogacy journey and our online community Surrogacy Learning Center to connect with surrogate experts, professionals, and other people who are on or have been on a surrogacy journey.
This is where our years of experience and Matching Matters® methodology is most meaningful. We cultivate the right relationship between all parties. We work to establish mutual expectations for the kind of relationship the surrogate and intended parents each envision. We know that expectations will vary from one match to the next. Some relationships can be deeply personal and some less so. We always encourage communication among the participants, but some have more frequent communication than others. The kind of relationship you are interested in will be explored before and during a potential match with intended parents. In fact, at first introduction by ConceiveAbilities, 97% of surrogates and intended parents choose to move forward together.
Yes, surrogacy is commonly practiced today and is the most successful infertility treatment according to the CDC. As surrogacy makes more headlines and medical advances continue, more women are excited to learn about becoming a surrogate. Watch fertility expert Dr. Eve Feinberg with Northwestern Medicine Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Chicago in Chicago talking about how surrogacy is normal.
We work on your timeline. If you are considering becoming a surrogate, you will want to take your own circumstances like family, work and obligations into consideration. You can contact any of our volunteer surrogate advocates to ask when they knew it was the right time for them to be a surrogate.
Some intended parents want the surrogate to supply breastmilk for their child. If the surrogate agrees, she will be compensated for pumping breastmilk. Learn more about the Pros and Cons of Pumping Breast Milk As A Surrogate.
Subscribe and listen to All Things Conceivable: A Surrogacy Podcast with Nazca Fontes to hear stories from experienced surrogates, intended parents and fertility doctors and surrogacy professionals.
Yes. Sometimes a surrogate chooses her partner and her intended parents. The number of people allowed in the room is determined by the hospital and has sometimes been limited during COVID-19. This is all discussed as part of building your Birth Plan.
Most surrogates travel twice to the IVF clinic; once for an initial medical workup and then for transfer of the embryo.
Through our All-In Care and Compensation Program, we provide you in-depth resources and information to consider all of your preferences and options for your birthing experience. All of this helps you form your thoughts so that you are well-prepared when it’s time to create a Birth Plan with your intended parent(s), facilitated by your Match Manager.
Your safety as a surrogate is our priority. It is imperative for both the surrogate and the baby she is carrying that she is physically and mentally healthy to carry a surrogacy pregnancy. The detailed review that ConceiveAbilities will conduct as part of your surrogate application process gives you confidence that, if it goes well and when it’s time, a fertility center will also agree that you are qualified to be a healthy and successful surrogate.
We want to make sure that you are able to complete a healthy and successful surrogacy journey, for both you and the baby. Our screening process is very thorough because we only want you to invest months of time and emotion into matching with intended parents and moving forward in a process if a fertility center is likely to agree that you can be a healthy and successful surrogate.
Surrogate rights are very important. We provide you with legal guidance so you fully understand your rights and create your surrogacy contract accordingly. Learn more about the rights of a surrogate mother on our blog Surrogate Rights.
We have a lot of learning resources for women thinking about becoming a surrogate including The Surrogacy Learning Center, our blog Everything You Need to Know About Surrogacy and more, and our surrogacy podcast. You can also watch information videos on Conceiveabilities YouTube channel.
Yes. As a surrogate, you are in charge of your own medical decision.
Yes. In fact, a prior tubal ligation can be ideal because it ensures you can’t get pregnant on your own during the beginning of the surrogacy process. As long as your uterus is healthy, you will make a great surrogate candidate. Learn more about IVF After Tubal Ligation.
Yes. Use of Letrozole, or Clomid, to achieve a successful pregnancy has no bearing on whether you can become a surrogate. Those medicines are meant to assist with ovulation, which is not a factor for you when it comes to surrogacy. An embryo will be transferred to you and you will have no genetic relationship with the baby.
Not only do you earn top surrogate pay, fourth trimester care and monthly care packages with our first-in-class All-In Surrogate Care and Compensation Program, you avoid the unnecessary headaches of working with a less experienced agency or navigating the complexity of a surrogacy journey without an advocate. Without a national agency, a surrogate opens herself up to many potential pitfalls and unnecessary risks financially, legally and medically. With 25 years of experience and an exceptionally strong network of industry experts, we know how to protect and advocate for a surrogate and head off potential problems in a surrogacy journey. Additionally, because of our decades of expertise in the industry, we dramatically shorten the timeline and increase the chances for a sustained relationship for everyone involved in the surrogacy journey. Independent journeys can start with good intent but simply never occur. And, most importantly, we honor your selflessness in helping another family who otherwise can’t build their family by managing the process for you, allowing you to focus on translating your dream into reality.
ConceiveAbilities is a national surrogacy agency headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. We have been at the forefront of the industry for 25 years working locally in every major city and many rural locales across the United States, as well as internationally. We have matched thousands of surrogates with the intended families they were meant to help, making dreams of a family for hopeful people become reality. We have the knowledge and network of a national surrogacy agency, and the personal touch of a small one, to make sure we provide you with best-in-class service.
More questions about becoming a surrogate?
One of the most important relationships a woman has in her life is her relationship with her Ob-Gyn doctor. We have hopeful and silly conversations as well as tough and scary conversations with our doctors. When a woman is deciding to become a surrogate, she looks to her trusted obstetrician for their guidance and expert advice.
Surrogacy is rapidly growing as a way to grow families. In 2019, surrogates were part of 5.4% of all in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures in 2019. Why? It is the most successful treatment for infertility, with a 75% success rate. That number can increase as high as 95% for a birth once the gestational carrier is pregnant.
Surrogacy empowers women to help those who are yearning to build their family. And more women qualify than you may realize. Are you among those who have what it takes to give the incredible gift of family? Read on to learn the 10 signs which indicate that you may make a wonderful surrogate.