tomer and elinor, twins born to a gay couple in our surrogacy program
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Controlling Costs

John started his program with the intent of keeping costs down, in order to make surrogacy an afford-able alternative to private adoption. This page will give you an idea of the estimated costs of using our services for the most elaborate program we have, Gestational Surrogacy plus fresh Egg Donation, and assuming the surrogate does not have applicable insurance for maternity and delivery.

  • Gestational Surrogacy Program Options:
    The cost for gestational surrogacy, including all agency fees, attorneys' fees, screening and surrogate fees (but excluding medical and insurance costs) range from  around $58,000 to $73,000 , depending the program chosen by our clients. These program vary in the source of the egg donation, IVF insurance coverage, legal needs and other circumstances. Total program costs including medical and insurance components range from around $85,000 to $126,000 for egg donor surrogacy. Optional components can add 5-10% to the costs, and we also suggest that clients allow for 10-15% possible variable and costs above their standard program estimates, to allow for unforeseen developments, as detailed in the " other costs for consideration" page.


  • Egg Donation
    The cost for egg donation only, including agency and legal fees, are estimated at $14,750.

ESTIMATED PROGRAM EXPENSES FOR GESTATIONAL SURROGACY with Egg Donation: Premium Clinic (2010 - USA)

* Note: click on a category to see more details

Standard Costs
Surrogate Related Professional Fees $19,750.00
Surrogate Related Screening Costs $185.00
Surrogate Compensation and Other Surrogate Expenses $26,495.00
Egg Donor Compensation, Agency & Legal Fees, Screening and Other Expenses $14,750.00
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker Support Fees $3,500.00
Surrogate Related Legal Fees, Expenses and Finalization of Parental Rights $8,500.00
TOTAL Excluding 3rd Party Medical and Insurance Services $73,180.00
Medical and Insurance Expenses
Medical Expenses (dependent upon selected medical facility - actual charges apply) [1] $37,125.00
Insurance Expenses (to be paid directly to insurance agency) [2] $16,050.00
TOTAL of All Anticipated Costs [3] $126,355.00

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Other Cost Considerations


[1] IVF charges vary enormously. The figures here are estimates of our more expensive clinics.

[2] Insurance is one of the charges that is most variable. US domestic intended parents are required to purchase insurance for the surrogate. At this time, the company that we recommend offers 3 policies, all of which have an enrollment fee of $1,050. The policies' premiums vary with the lowest premium being $5,000, the mid-level policy having a $7,000 premium and the high-level policy having a $10,900 premium. All of the policies provide complications coverage for up to $500,000 and have deductibles ranging from $15,000 for the high-level policy to $45,000 for the low-level policy. Some of the deductible will need to be set aside during the pregnancy, the amount of which will be determined by the policy, but typically an amount between$15,000 to $18,000 for one child. Since the typical medical expense for a single child is $10,000, a large portion of the deductible should be returned in most cases.

[3] This is the total of all charges that are expected and the number that clients should consider as the likely minimum charges for your egg donor surrogacy. Anyone coming into the program should be prepared for 10 to 20% above this number since travel, second transfers and twins are common occurrences and can substantially add to this number. To account for this, we collect a $3,000 advance on travel expenses and a $2,000 advance on other possible expenses as part of the first half agency fee. These are only used if needed, and will be returned if not. As they are simply advances on some of the potential contingent expenses, they are not separately identified above or below.

Total payments to donors in excess of $5,000 require justification and sums above $10,000 are not appropriate; Circle Surrogacy complies with ASRM guidelines for egg donation compensation.


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