Does a surrogate have to have already given birth?

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.

What is a surrogate’s partner’s role in a surrogacy journey?

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.

What are the different types of 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).

What are the qualifications to become a surrogate?

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.

How can I find out how much I would make as a surrogate?

Because more families are choosing surrogacy, surrogates are in high demand. To find out your personalized base surrogate pay, use our surrogate pay calculator.

Can I earn money referring surrogates to ConceiveAbilities?

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.

I did not qualify to be an egg donor. Can I become a surrogate?

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.

How do surrogates prepare for a successful surrogacy pregnancy?

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.

Can a surrogate use her own OB/GYN?

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.

Will a surrogate need to travel long distances?

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.

Will lots of embryos be transferred to a surrogate?

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.

What if a surrogate doesn’t become pregnant?

Typically, intended parents ask for a commitment from you for up to 3 embryo transfers, which allows most surrogates to become pregnant.

After the baby is born, what is a surrogate responsible for?

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 .

What resources do you have for a surrogate mother?

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.

What should a surrogate expect from her relationship with the intended parents?

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.

Is surrogacy normal?

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.

When is the right time to become a surrogate?

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.

Do surrogates get paid to pump breast milk?

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.

What is the best surrogacy podcast to learn about becoming 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.

Does a surrogate get to choose who is in the delivery room?

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.

How often do surrogates travel to the IVF clinic?

Most surrogates travel twice to the IVF clinic; once for an initial medical workup and then for transfer of the embryo.

How do surrogates make a birth plan?

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.

Why is medical screening important?

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.

Why is the surrogate screening process so thorough?

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.

Why is legal support so important for a surrogacy journey?

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.

Where can I learn about becoming a surrogate?

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.

Is a surrogate in charge of her own medical decisions?

Yes. As a surrogate, you are in charge of your own medical decision.

I have had my fallopian tubes tied. Can I still become a surrogate?

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.

I took Letrozole to become pregnant with my own child. Can I still become a surrogate?

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.

Why does choosing a national, experienced surrogacy agency make sense for a surrogate?

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.

Where is ConceiveAbilities Surrogacy & Egg Donor Agency located?

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.