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Surrogacy Program Options for Parents

Intended parents have many surrogacy programs from which to choose to grow their families. Explore our surrogacy, egg donation, surrogacy plus egg donation and bring your own surrogate program options available.

 Surrogate mother application and screening at computer

A variety of family-building programs

We understand that every family is different – and that every family is grown differently, too. That's why we offer programs to help as many individuals and couples as possible. Some intended parents have a plan in mind while others aren't quite sure what they need. In either case, our experienced team can help. Read on to learn more.

Watch our webinar about surrogacy programs.

Your guide to surrogacy and egg donation programs

These are the different programs that Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation offers. If you are interested in learning more about any of our programs – or you don't see a program that feels like the best fit – you can fill out a short form and we will be in touch ASAP!

Gestational Surrogacy Only

Designed for intended parents who can provide the needed biology, but require the assistance of a gestational surrogate. This means that you will either use your own eggs and sperm to create embryos – or have already created your embryos – but you are not able to carry a baby to term, due to infertility or a prior medical diagnosis such as cancer; or perhaps you're a same sex couple with embryos already created and you simply need our help in finding a gestational surrogate.

It is not uncommon for intended parents to come to us for surrogacy, but when creating embryos realize they may also need the help of an egg donor. And that's okay, we'll guide you throughout that process!

Our Surrogacy Only program is designed to mentor and guide you through the entire surrogacy journey. We will work with your IVF clinic, match you with the perfect gestational surrogate, and manage all aspects of your journey from start to finish.

Gestational Surrogacy Plus Egg Donation

Intended parents who require egg donation for gestational surrogacy are not able to provide the necessary biology to create embryos, and they also need a gestational surrogate to carry the baby to term. LGBTQ+ individuals and couples often use surrogacy plus egg donation, as well as some heterosexual couples with infertility or medical diagnoses.

For surrogacy plus egg donation, intended parents will match with an egg donor to provide her eggs (and sometimes, intended parents may need a sperm donor as well). Once the eggs are retrieved, embryos will be created in a lab at the parents' IVF clinic. The embryos will then be transferred into a gestational carrier's uterus.

Egg Donation Only

If you are able to carry a baby to term, however you require a donor egg to create embryos, you may choose our Egg Donation Only program.

Circle has a robust egg donor database filled with hundreds of bright, young women; we'll help you find the perfect match. We'll help you understand the differences between known and anonymous egg donation, and how to choose the donor that best fits your needs.

After you match with an egg donor, you'll work with your clinic to schedule her egg retrieval. Once her eggs are retrieved, your embryos will be created and transferred into the intended mother's uterus.

Surrogacy with Your Own Surrogate

Can a friend be your surrogate? Yes, in some instances, intended parents come to us and have a family member or friend – or have found a match through surrogacy communities – who will be their gestational surrogate. You may hear this referred to as independent surrogacy or private surrogacy.

Some intended parents will pursue surrogacy without an agency, however even if you have found a surrogate on your own, you may still desire to have an agency manage your surrogacy journey (vs doing an independent journey). There are a few different levels of support available with this program, speak with us to learn more about options and costs. Read about 5 reasons to use a surrogacy agency.

For parents that choose to do an independent surrogacy journey (also called an "indy journey" or "indy surrogacy"), they will not only find their own surrogate, but also manage all aspects of the journey themselves (legal, local monitoring, accounting, etc). Our Surrogacy with Your Own Surrogate Program allows intended parents the freedom of finding their own surrogate match (and saving those funds) with the option to have professional support. When pursuing an independent journey, you may find that your clinic requires some level of support from a surrogacy agency – and that's where Circle can help.

Explore our Surrogacy with Your Own Surrogate Programs and Costs below!

Bring a Surrogate Guaranteed Cost Program

Our Surrogacy with Your Own Surrogate program enables Intended Parents to find a gestational surrogate on their own, and still have the exceptional support Circle offers throughout their journey. Intended Parents can bring their surrogate to our program, and Circle will perform the screening, background checks and medical record review, as well as all our other surrogacy services for parents. We are with you until you have your baby!

Bring a Surrogate Essential Program

Our Surrogacy with Your Own Surrogate Essential Program is a wonderful option for intended parents who have identified a family member or close friend who will serve as their gestational surrogate for their surrogacy journey. Once Intended Parents have identified a carrier, they can partner with Circle for the exceptional support we offer intended parents throughout their journey. We are with you until you have your baby!

Our Essential Program provides fixed costs for all your professional fees, including agency, legal, screening and support expenses. Third party expenses are variable in this program – only pay for what you need!

Bring a Surrogate A La Carte Program

Our Surrogacy with Your Own Surrogate a la Carte Program is for intended parents who have identified a gestational surrogate on their own for their surrogacy journey, and who wish to pursue an independent journey. In this program, Circle Surrogacy will work with your clinic of choice to set you up for success until you are pregnant, and then you will manage the entirety of your journey.

Some clinics may require you work with a surrogacy agency to ensure your surrogate is properly screened and ready for a surrogacy journey. That’s where Circle comes in: we can perform your surrogate screening, handle contracts, perform the surrogate’s insurance review and assist in the set up of local monitoring and escrow management (if you choose).

Dual Journey

Intended parents can choose Surrogacy Only or Surrogacy with Egg Donation for a Dual Journey. In this type of journey, intended parents will have two gestational surrogates carrying babies in staggered journeys. Intended parents wishing to have more than one child through surrogacy may choose this option which can be more medically advisable than a gestational surrogate carrying twins. Parents can choose Gestational Surrogacy Only if they are creating/have their own embryos or Gestational Surrogacy plus Egg Donation if they need donor eggs to create their family.

To explore a Dual Journey, please email us.

Sibling Journey

A sibling journey is a second (or third!) surrogacy journey with Circle to grow your family even more. Some intended parents have formed such a strong bond with their previous gestational surrogate that they return to the program together for another journey. It is also an option for intended parents to do sibling journey with a new gestational surrogate as well (some surrogates may not be ready to return, or have reached their limit of journeys).

If you're interested in starting the process of a sibling journey, email our team.
 Choosing the right surrogacy program for you

Choosing the right surrogacy program for you

Researching surrogacy and surrogacy agencies is an important step in your surrogate journey. Understanding the different program options for parents can be overwhelming at first. Intended parents who have an IVF clinic can begin by speaking with their doctor to see the different family building options available. Speaking with a surrogacy agency such as Circle is another way to educate yourself on how you can grow your family through surrogacy and egg donation.

A few questions to ask yourself to help you determine what types of surrogacy services you need are:

  • Am I/are we able to create embryos with my own/our own biology?
  • Am I able to carry a baby to term?
  • Do I/we already have embryos?
  • Do I/we need both eggs and a woman to carry our baby?
  • Have I/we spoken to my fertility doctor (if you have one) about my options?

And you can always chat with our experienced team at Circle! We guide intended parents at the very beginning of their journeys every day!

Surrogacy Program FAQs

When it comes to choosing a surrogacy program, you may have some questions to help you decide the option that's best for you.

When do I need an egg donor?

Intended parents require an egg donor when the intended mother is not able to use her own eggs, or when a same sex couple requires female biology.

How can I find my own surrogate?

Intended parents can find a gestational carrier through a surrogacy agency, or they can find a woman to be their surrogate on their own. Intended parents can ask a family member or friend to be their surrogate, or they can join social communities or matching groups to try and find a surrogate on their own.

If I find a surrogate, do I need a surrogacy agency?

It depends. If you find your own surrogate, you have the option to do an independent journey; in this type of journey the intended parents (you) would manage all aspects of the journey, source third party professionals and work directly with the clinics.

If you would prefer to have an agency of professionals manage your surrogacy journey, you can still work with a surrogacy agency even if you find your own surrogate. Also, some clinics require you to work with an agency when you go to them with your own surrogate.

Can I change programs once I've started a surrogacy journey?

Absolutely! Some intended parents come to us for gestational surrogacy only, but later find out their are unable to use their own biology; in these instances, the IPs will switch to our Gestational Surrogacy Plus Egg Donation Program.

How much do your different surrogacy programs cost?

Our surrogacy program costs differ based on the services required.

For a full breakdown of our costs, please review our detailed surrogacy costs page.

Can I reduce the costs of my surrogacy if I find my own egg donor?

If you find your own egg donor and don't require the services of an agency to match you, that will save your some money. If you are compensating your surrogate, you will still be required to pay her fees and expenses, and cover her screening, compensation, legal fees and more.

How can I afford surrogacy?

Intended parents afford surrogacy a variety of ways. Some take out loans, others ask family and friends to help, while others save and save and save!

This blog posts outlines different ways to help afford surrogacy.

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