If you're beginning to research surrogacy in Maryland—either as intended parents hoping to grow your family or as a woman interested in becoming a surrogate mother—it's normal to feel a bit overwhelmed by the information available. We've developed this "ultimate guide" for Maryland residents considering surrogacy. It includes information on the surrogacy process, how to become a surrogate, how to find a surrogate, and much, much more.
Maryland is considered a surrogacy-friendly state for both gestational carriers and intended parents. Even though the state doesn't have any current laws governing surrogacy in Maryland, legal precedent recognizes the intended parents as the legal parents. From Baltimore to Bethesda and Frederick to Hagerstown, Circle Surrogacy is ready to support your surrogacy journey, and has staff in the area. You'll find virtually everything you need to know about gestational surrogacy on this page.
Surrogacy enables couples and individuals from various backgrounds, ages, and sexual orientations to build their families. The types of intended parents who may use surrogacy include:
Each surrogacy journey is as unique as the intended parents and their reasons for taking the first steps.
By its very nature, surrogacy is an emotional process. It can also feel complicated and overwhelming. Working with an agency, you don't have to navigate the process alone. Even though the details are different for intended parents and surrogates, the common goal of having a healthy baby is shared by all.
Circle Surrogacy has been helping straight and LGBTQ+ singles and couples grow their families through surrogacy and egg donation since opening their Boston office in 1995, making us one of the first full-service surrogacy agencies in the U.S.
You have multiple choices when looking for a surrogacy agency. Having options is good, and you shouldn't necessarily choose the first agency you contact. It's important the agency shares your views about surrogacy and that you establish good chemistry with the staff. When embarking on your surrogacy, do your research to ensure you'll be supported and have a successful journey.
Selecting an agency with lawyers knowledgeable in assisted reproductive technology (ART) and surrogacy law is essential because laws vary by state. Our lawyers will help you understand the surrogacy laws in Maryland.
Before being matched with a surrogate, you may need to match with an egg donor. Our egg donor database contains information about the smart, ambitious young women who are excited for the opportunity to help you grow your family.
Your Program Coordination (PC) Team helps you find the perfect surrogate match and encourages you to establish a strong bond with the woman who will carry your baby or babies. If you'd like to find a surrogate with specific criteria, you can share your preference with your PC team.
During the pregnancy, relationships between intended parents and surrogates continue to develop. That may even include intended parents visiting with the surrogate mother during her appointments if they live in Maryland or close to the state. Your agency supports you through each milestone, helping you prepare for traveling for the birth and ensuring you have everything you need to return home safely and securely.
Making an informed decision to grow your family through surrogacy involves understanding Maryland's surrogacy laws, the surrogacy process, and surrogacy costs.
Maryland residents who are ready to start a surrogacy journey as intended parents have multiple benefits, including:
The cost of surrogacy in Maryland varies, depending on several factors. These include whether you require an egg donor and the type of program you choose.
We can divide surrogacy costs into 4 categories:
Circle Surrogacy offers fixed costs for professional fees, gestational carrier and egg donor fees, and medical & insurance expenses, which sets us apart from most agencies. Without fixed costs, surprise fees and financial uncertainty can be a part of the surrogacy journey.
Circle Surrogacy's programs and pricing are structured to achieve two primary goals: success and cost security.
Circle is the only agency that offers intended parents in Maryland 2 truly fixed price options tailored to your specific circumstances.
We designed our Fixed Cost Program and Journey Protection Guarantee Program to help as many intended parents as possible bring home a baby while reducing variable costs.
Fixed Cost Program
Surrogacy only: $128,750
Surrogacy plus egg donation: $149,750
(both prices exclude IVF)
Our Fixed Cost Program provides intended parents the security of paying one fixed price for a single transfer journey, reducing unexpected expenses and the uncertainty of variable costs.
Journey Protection Guarantee Program
Surrogacy only: $137,250
Surrogacy plus egg donation: $158,250
(both prices exclude IVF)
Our Journey Protection Guarantee offers intended parents unlimited transfers for a fixed price, plus the Circle Promise: We’ll refund 100% of our agency fee plus unused third-party funds if you do not bring home a baby.
Our Exclusive Surrogacy Financing Plan
We've developed an exclusive financing plan to help make surrogacy more affordable for intended parents in Maryland and several other states.
Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation works with Origin Finance, LLC, to offer intended parents a financing plan. The financing plan, along with our Journey Protection Guarantee Program option, helps intended parents better plan for surrogacy costs and egg donation and eliminate surprise expenses along the way.
Being matched with a surrogate mother is an exciting part of the surrogacy journey. Circle’s surrogates live all over the country, including a large number of women near Maryland and on the East Coast. Our headquarters are in Boston, and we have an office in New York City; we are also well-represented in Maryland, making it even easier for surrogates and intended parents to connect.
Our Intended Parent Profile
We use the intended parent profile to get to know you and help our Matching Team find your surrogate match. This profile is filled with information about you and your:
Sharing photos of yourself, your loved ones, and anything else that gives a good sense of who you are as people is an important part of finding the ideal match.
Intended Parent Matching Criteria
In addition to your profile, there are certain criteria on which you will be matched with your gestational carrier. Intended parent matching criteria includes your preferences on:
Even if you are looking for a surrogate on your own, it can help to consider these criteria when searching for a good match.
We recommend intended parents consider the following criteria when searching for a surrogate mother in Maryland:
Circle Surrogacy conducts a full screening of their surrogates to determine the surrogate mothers who are the strongest, healthiest, and most likely to be successful before matching with intended parents. This helps to ensure intended parents are matched with a best-in-class gestational carrier.
Intended parents who want to grow their family sometimes need an egg donor. Choosing the eggs of a young woman who will provide half of your child's biology is a significant part of the journey to becoming parents.
Qualities to Consider
Carefully thinking about the type of woman you're looking for is the first step to finding your perfect egg donor match. Are you looking for someone who has similar qualities that you or your partner possess? Or do you wish for a woman whose traits complement your personality or appearance? These are a few things to think about when beginning your egg donor search.
As you begin searching, have some thoughts as to what's important to you in an egg donor match, such as:
And remember, nature vs. nurture – not every characteristic or trait is hereditary!
Search Through Our Egg Donor Database
Starting your egg donor search in an egg donor database is an excellent idea. Most databases allow you to search for egg donors based on specific criteria. Circle Surrogacy's egg donor database is easy to use and easy to navigate.
Within each donor profile, you'll find a tremendous amount of additional information, including:
It's okay if you're not sure about what you're looking for in a donor. The "I'll know her when I see her" approach works well for some intended parents.
Maryland is a very surrogacy-friendly state!
The state of Maryland allows for gestational surrogacy under case-law and practice, including for singles, unmarried couples, those using their own gametes or donor egg, sperm, or embryo. Maryland is an LGBTQ friendly state. Intended Parents are able to obtain a Pre-Birth Order.
Maryland residents who want to apply to become a surrogate can work with Circle Surrogacy. We can help you become a surrogate in Richmond, Norfolk, or anywhere else in Maryland. Since 1995, we've helped numerous intended parents and surrogates achieve successful surrogacies in the East and all over the United States.
Requirements for Becoming a Surrogate in Maryland
To become a surrogate in Maryland, the applicant must meet the following requirements:
Working with an East Coast surrogacy agency as a surrogate in Maryland offers many benefits, including the fact that we work with many intended parents from the East Coast. Surrogates from Maryland will have the opportunity to work with intended parents who live relatively close to them.
As a Maryland surrogate, you may also enjoy other benefits, including:
Women apply to become surrogate mothers in Maryland because they want to help others experience the joy of parenthood. Even though compensation is a part of becoming a surrogate, the monetary incentive isn't the primary reason women choose to become surrogates. Surrogates enjoy an indescribable sense of fulfillment from helping intended families bring a child into the world, and that's a feeling that cannot be found doing anything else.
As a Maryland surrogate, you have the opportunity to earn between $50,000 and $60,000 in total payments and benefits. Surrogate mothers are paid a base fee of $30,000 to $35,000, plus additional compensation and benefits for milestones along their journey.
Calculate your surrogate pay with our surrogate compensation calculator.
Surrogate mothers start earning compensation and benefits even before they are pregnant, as well as monthly stipends once they are pregnant.
There is no substitute for experience, which is why Circle Surrogacy provides such excellent support to our surrogates—many members of our staff have been surrogates themselves and understand what's needed on this unique journey.
Here are some of the ways we support surrogates:
Read our blog post about the 10 steps to becoming a surrogate.
We devote a lot of time to ensuring we find the ideal intended parents to match with our gestational surrogate mothers in Maryland. Aside from the decision to become a surrogate, this match is the most important choice made during the surrogacy journey. You want to be sure that you connect with and fully trust the intended parents. That’s why Circle Surrogacy built an extensive and thorough matching process.
Our Surrogate Support Team begins by searching for the perfect intended parent(s) based on personality fit and legal circumstances. You’ll get to review each other’s profiles, ask questions, and generally get to know each other. There will also be an initial Skype call and, possibly, an in-person meeting. It’s all about making sure both you and the intended parent(s) feel completely comfortable with the match. And of course, the surrogacy agreement only moves forward if you do.
Circle works with single parents, LGBTQ+ and heterosexual couples, domestic and international couples, and more. We’re confident you’ll be able to find a great match.
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