Frequently Asked Questions for IPs

Sometimes, for one reason or another, you cannot have your own successful pregnancy, but wish to have a child genetically related to you. Surrogacy can make this happen. The science of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) continues to advance, and the improvement in technology is resulting in higher success rates for pregnancy. Our gestational carriers (“GCs”) are healthy, motivated women with a history of successful pregnancies and a desire to help others experience the joy of parenthood. We have helped many couples and individuals complete their families.

In traditional surrogacy, the child is conceived with the egg of the woman who carries the child. Thus, the carrier is also the genetic mother. Over the years, with the success of IVF, gestational surrogacy has become safer and much more common. In gestational surrogacy, the woman who carries the child has no genetic relationship to the child, rather the egg and sperm that create the embryo are those of the intended parents or a donor. All of our surrogacies are gestational surrogacies.

Call or email us here. We will send you a link to sign up in our portal, after which you will receive a packet of information within 24 hours. We also offer a free consultation if you wish to proceed. We will answer your questions and help you understand the surrogacy process to help assess if we are the right fit for you.

Matching with a GC can take up to a year (or more, depending on your matching preferences) in many cases, with the average wait time for a match occurring between 6-9 months.  After matching, a transfer should occur within an additional 6-9 months.  In many cases, you go home with your baby in about 18-24 months (though timing is never guaranteed).  

That will depend on you and what makes you comfortable. You will receive information about your carrier before you are officially matched. If something about the match makes you uncomfortable, you have the right to ask us questions about anything in the GC’s profile, and if you wish to pass, we will send you information about someone else when we have another profile ready to present to you. When you and your prospective carrier decide to move ahead together, you will attend a match meeting where you can get to know your carrier and her husband or partner, if she has one. Many people develop a good relationship with each other and share in the pregnancy; others are less involved.

Yes. We work with couples, both opposite sex and same sex, and individuals.

There are many factors that determine the overall cost of surrogacy, which are outlined in our 2025-26 COST MATRIX. The main categories of fees are:

• Payments to our program
• IVF clinic fees
• Legal fees
• Payments to your carrier
• Any supplemental insurance costs, if applicable

You will need to pay the costs associated with your IVF clinic, and those fees will vary greatly depending on the clinic.

Many of our carriers have medical insurance which may cover the overall costs of the pregnancy and birth. Unfortunately, some insurance plans exclude surrogacy as a covered benefit. If that applies to your carrier’s coverage, we can refer you to providers of supplemental surrogacy insurance that will cover costs beyond those of a normal delivery should there be unfortunate circumstances causing the need for additional medical care.  You may also purchase an ACA plan (open enrollment is in Nov-Dec of each year) that will cover your GC – the premiums and deductible for this option are much more cost-effective than purchasing a supplemental maternity plan through an insurance company.

Please refer to our Resources page for more information.

We can refer you to possible sources of financing. There are companies which provide unsecured financing for surrogacies. Other options are securing a home equity loan, receiving financial assistance from family members, or crowdfunding using platforms such as Go Fund Me. We will work with you to help make your dream of parenthood come true.  It is also important to know that you must have secure financing in place before pursuing a surrogacy journey.

Please refer to our Resources page for more information.

A rematch fee of $10,000 will be assessed in the event that the Intended Parents request a new GC. If a medical clearance fee was already assessed for the previous GC, that fee will not be paid again after a rematch with a new GC and is folded into the rematch fee.

IPs must open an escrow account with a surrogacy expense management firm to manage and distribute expenses during the surrogacy process.

The Surrogacy Center works with Ally – a trusted and dependable surrogacy-only escrow agency with an portal system that manages and tracks expenses online. Their charge for these services is $1,500, which covers the entire journey.

The Surrogacy Center recommends that an initial amount of $20,000 be funded to the account, and that a minimum balance of $10,000 must be maintained at all times. IPs must keep the escrow account funded for 6 months post-birth, and must be aware that many expenses will be coming in after the delivery (hospital bills, co-pays, GC expenses, etc).

Intended Parents (IPs) often find that choosing a small, independent, hands-on surrogacy agency in the Midwest offers a more personalized and cost-effective experience compared to working with larger, national agencies (particularly on the coasts). Our boutique agency typically provides a higher level of direct support and communication throughout the journey, fostering stronger relationships between IPs, surrogates, and agency staff. Additionally, operating in the Midwest—where living costs and agency overhead are generally lower—allows our agency to offer a more affordable experience without compromising on quality or ethical standards. For IPs seeking a supportive, transparent, and personalized path to parenthood, our Midwestern agency is an ideal choice.