If you’re interested in becoming a surrogate, you’ve probably already done some research to find agencies that specialize in matching surrogates to intended parents. You have likely also discovered that there are A LOT of surrogacy agencies out there, from California to New York and Boston and nearly everywhere in between!
How do I choose a surrogacy agency?
With the popularity of surrogacy rising, the options for who to work with similarly increase. Each agency offers a different experience, so it is important to know what things are most important to you in a surrogacy agency and how to compare agencies.
When comparing surrogacy agencies, one of the first things to consider is what is most important to you as a potential surrogate. What are the top criteria or experiences that you’re looking to get out of your surrogacy journey?
You may not know those things yet, so we’ve compiled the top benefits of being a surrogate to consider when researching and comparing surrogacy agencies for you!
Agency Experience and History
When choosing a surrogacy agency, it’s important to research:
- How long the agency has been in business
- How many surrogacy journeys they have done
- How the business was formed.
Many agencies are built by parents through surrogacy who want to help more families have the opportunity to grow. While researching, ask the agencies about their history, their mission, and how many successful journeys they have done.
Circle Surrogacy has been in business for over 25 years and we’ve helped bring over 2,700 babies into this world! Circle Surrogacy stands out from other agencies because of our long and successful history, our staff’s personal experience with surrogacy, and our exclusive Circle Surrogate Promise for surrogates!
Compensation and Compensation Guarantee
The compensation packages at each agency are slightly different depending on a number of factors, but in general, most agencies provide surrogate pay within a similar range. When researching and comparing agency compensation, be sure to also understand how surrogate compensation is paid out and how the process works.
Be sure to ask: “How do you guarantee a surrogate receives all of her compensation in the event intended parents run out of funds for their surrogacy?”
With Circle’s Fixed Cost program for intended parents, Circle financially backs every journey and can guarantee compensation for every surrogate.
Surrogate Medical Bills
Every agency handles billing and medical bills differently or uses a different process or system. It is important to research how each of the agencies you’re considering handles when and how medical bills are paid during and after the journey.
It is important to ask “How do you guarantee a surrogate doesn’t get stuck with medical bills related to the surrogacy?”
Each agency might approach this differently, so be sure that you’re comfortable with this process and how it is handled before signing on.
Circle Surrogacy takes on the liability of medical bills. We listened to our past surrogates and their frustrations with medical bills and we’ve made big changes. While we can never stop having you receive medical bills (since you are the “patient”), our new Fixed Cost programs for intended parents allow us to protect both the surrogates and the intended parents and ensure all medical bills will be paid in a timely manner.
Matching With Intended Parents
Every surrogacy agency has different wait times for matching surrogates and intended parents. This often has to do with having the right number of both intended parents and surrogates.
When researching and chatting with agencies about the matching process, be sure to ask “How quickly can I be matched with intended parents?”
Before committing to an agency, be sure that the timeline provided is accurate and aligns with your timeline of when you’d like to begin your journey.
Circle’s security and longevity as a company resonates with both surrogates and intended parents alike. For this reason, we have a list of intended parents ready and excited for their surrogate match, resulting in minimal wait time for surrogates in our program. We also have Matching Specialists who are experts at finding you the right intended parents for your journey!
Surrogate Support
Each gestational surrogate mother requires a different level of support throughout her journey, and it is important to know that no matter how much support you need, your agency is going to be there to work with you.
Each agency has different teams or people in place to help surrogates before, during, and after their journeys. These teams or individual employees are there to support a surrogate throughout the surrogacy process.
We highly recommend thinking about how the agency provides support to its surrogates and what that looks like.
When asking questions during the research stage, look for answers to questions like “What support do you offer your surrogates in the program, and who provides the support?”
The answer to this question will be helpful in determining if that agency is the right fit for you!
At Circle Surrogacy, our team approach always ensures you have support available to you during your journey. Each team member offers specific support to their surrogate and always has a backup in place for out-of-office scenarios.
Agency Success
A number of different criteria can be considered when determining an agency’s success, but the main focus is on how many babies have been born through the program.
The longer an agency has been around, the higher the number of babies born through the program in most cases. The more journeys an agency has done is also indicative of their ability to manage difficult or challenging situations as they have more experience.
One last question to ask agencies as you review them is “What is your agency’s success rate for babies born through your program?”
Some agencies will have this information available on their website, and others you may need to ask.
Circle’s program boasts a success rate of 99.3% for intended parents, made possible by the amazing surrogates that are accepted into our program!
Becoming a surrogate is a wonderful and rewarding experience. When choosing a surrogacy agency to work with for that experience, be sure to ask all of these questions to ensure that you’re making the right decision for you and your family.
Every surrogacy agency offers different benefits, and through asking the important questions, you’ll find the right one for you in no time!
If you’re interested in learning more about how to become a surrogate at Circle Surrogacy, you can learn more about our program and the benefits on our Surrogates page. If you’ve already done your research and you’re feeling ready to apply, you can fill out an application today!