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The Ultimate Guide to Surrogacy in Michigan

Surrogacy can be an exciting path for intended parents who want to grow their families. In Michigan, the surrogacy process is more complicated than in most other states, and it’s extremely helpful to have an experienced surrogacy agency navigate the milestones throughout your journey. Circle Surrogacy and Egg Donation is one of the most experienced surrogacy agencies in the U.S. and guides people considering surrogacy in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Sterling Heights, and throughout Michigan.

 Table of Contents

Table of Contents

 Family Supporting Pregnant Surrogate

An Overview of Surrogacy in Michigan

Compensated surrogacy in Michigan is illegal, therefore, Circle is unable to work with gestational surrogates from the state. Circle can – and has always – worked with intended parents from the state of Michigan. If you are looking to do surrogacy and you live in Michigan, Circle would match you with a gestational surrogate from a surrounding state with more favorable surrogacy laws. Circle Surrogacy works with surrogate mothers in 47 states throughout the U.S.

People considering surrogacy as a family-building option include couples and individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ages, and sexual orientations.

We work with intended parents in Michigan who may be:

• Heterosexual couples who have struggled with infertility
• Intended mothers who are unable to carry a child
• Intended parents who have a genetic defect or health condition they don't want to pass onto a child
• LGBTQ+ intended parents who want to have a genetic link to their baby

If you’re considering surrogacy in Michigan, this page is an excellent resource to learn more about what to expect as intended parents, including the cost of surrogacy.

Surrogacy in Michigan for Intended Parents

Surrogacy and egg donation have been helping straight and LGBTQ+ singles and couples in Michigan grow their families for decades. Intended parents are able to safely become parents in Michigan.

Below you'll find information about surrogacy in Michigan, including what the surrogacy process looks like, how much surrogacy costs in Michigan, how to find a surrogate or egg donor, and so much more. The process can feel overwhelming at first, but the more you read and research, the more familiar it will become to you. Many professionals are involved in a surrogacy journey, and it is a life-changing experience.

We're ready to help intended parents from Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Sterling Heights, and throughout Michigan. Read on to learn more about becoming a parent through surrogacy.

The Surrogacy Process in Michigan

If you live in Michigan and want to pursue surrogacy to grow your family using a surrogate outside the state, it’s important to understand and prepare for the series of milestones that culminate on delivery day. The journeys of intended parents and surrogate mothers are intimately connected, and coordination throughout the process is essential.

Anyone pursuing surrogacy can do so without the help of an agency. If this is the path for you, we encourage you to use this page as a resource for your journey. You’ll also learn about the benefits of working with an agency such as Circle Surrogacy, which has more than 25 years of experience helping intended parents grow their families.

Choosing an Agency
If you’ve decided to partner with a surrogacy agency, start by researching your options. Experience is important, as is choosing an agency that fits well with your specific needs and outlook about the surrogacy process. You should look for an agency whose lawyers have expertise in ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) and surrogacy laws—not just in Michigan, but in the states where you may match with a surrogate mother.
Finding a Surrogate and Egg Donor
Searching for a perfect surrogate match typically begins as soon as intended parents sign on with the agency. If intended parents require an egg donor, they may first match with an egg donor, or the surrogate and egg donor matching can happen concurrently. Matching with a donor is accomplished by using our egg donor database. Our Matching Team helps Michigan intended parents navigate the database, which includes details about bright and ambitious young women who are excited about the opportunity to help you grow your family.
Pregnancy and Parenthood
What kind of relationship do intended parents have with their surrogate? Developing a close relationship with your surrogate is often an important part of the process. For intended parents in Michigan, the surrogate likely won’t live close enough to visit during each doctor’s appointment. You can still maintain a close relationship throughout the pregnancy, and Circle will support you through each milestone—helping you prepare to travel for the birth and ensuring you have everything you need to return home safely.
 Starting the Surrogacy Process

Starting the Surrogacy Process

Once you’ve made the exciting choice to grow your family through surrogacy (hooray!) and have selected an agency to meet with, the next step is scheduling a consultation. During the consultation, you’ll have the opportunity to share your story, ask questions, and determine if the agency team is a good fit for your journey.

Complimentary consultations are offered by Circle Surrogacy for intended parents who are emotionally and financially ready to begin a surrogacy journey within the next 12 months. Intended parents learn more about the surrogacy process, how much surrogacy costs, and how to find and match with a surrogate mother.

Circle offers free consultations via video or in-person meetings. Some intended parents who are still gathering information but who aren’t ready for a full consultation can schedule a short pre-consultation. This meeting lasts about 30 minutes and is a great way to ask questions and learn more.

 Becoming a Parent in Michigan

Becoming a Parent in Michigan

Welcoming a new baby into your family is a joyous time. Becoming a parent through surrogacy in Michigan is a safe process when working with Circle Surrogacy. You can grow your family through surrogacy and/or egg donation.

One of the first questions intended parents ask is about the cost of surrogacy. We outline the surrogacy costs you should expect in a typical surrogacy journey in our comprehensive cost sheets.

How Much Does Surrogacy Cost in Michigan?

Circle Surrogacy is transparent in its surrogacy options, costs, and what you can expect along your journey. We provide detailed information about the available surrogacy programs, the cost of surrogacy, and how much you can expect to pay for egg donation.

Circle Surrogacy offers an all-inclusive cost program: our Journey Protection Guarantee program.

Journey Protection Guarantee Program surrogacy costs in Michigan:

Surrogacy only: $157,750
Surrogacy plus egg donation: $184,750
(both prices exclude IVF)

Our Journey Protection Guarantee offers Intended Parents:

  • An all-inclusive program that covers all Surrogate fees and expenses for unlimited transfers and any complications that may arise during your journey
  • No surprise costs or invoices, even in scenarios that require a rematch with a new Surrogate

Circle's costs include all agency fees, attorneys’ fees, screening and surrogate fees, and insurance costs. They do not include IVF costs.

The costs outlined above are for our Surrogacy Only and Surrogacy Plus Egg Donation Programs. For more information about the costs of our other programs, please email us or call us at 617.439.9900.

Financing Surrogacy Costs

If intended parents believe they qualify for financing for their surrogacy journey, they can speak with our Parent Intake Team or Consultation Team or fill out this form.

 Finding a Surrogate Mother

Finding a Surrogate Mother

One of the most exciting moments of your journey is matching with a surrogate. Circle Surrogacy works with gestational surrogates from surrogacy-friendly states throughout the U.S. and can help you find an excellent match.

Get Started

What qualities are you looking for in a gestational surrogate? That’s something we encourage intended parents to think about at the outset of their search, whether they’re working with an agency or not. If you choose to work with Circle Surrogacy, we’ll ask you to fill out profiles that help us learn more about you. Your profile helps us find appropriate surrogate matches.

The information we ask for in the profile includes your:

  • Relationship (if you have a partner)
  • Family
  • Hobbies and activities
  • Plans for parenthood
  • Reasons for pursuing surrogacy

We appreciate any items, such as photos of yourself and your loved ones, that provide a good sense of who you are as people to help find the best possible surrogate matches. The Circle Matching team uses your answers to the profile questions, in addition to your geographic location and views on termination, to find an appropriate match. That’s why it’s important to be honest when thinking about how you answer these questions.

Additional information about you that helps us match you with a gestational carrier includes:

  • Desired level of communication with your surrogate during the journey
  • Location of the surrogate mother
  • Number of embryos to transfer
  • Views on selective reduction and termination

If you choose to pursue surrogacy without the assistance of an agency, you can use these criteria as guidelines as to what you should look for in a suitable match.

 3 Criteria for Finding Surrogate Mothers

3 Criteria for Finding Surrogate Mothers

When searching for a surrogate mother, you can narrow the options by keeping these 3 factors in mind:

Appropriate legal fit: Before presenting surrogate profiles to intended parents, our legal department always ensures potential gestational carriers meet general legal criteria.

Personality fit and surrogacy expectations: The list of safe matches provided by the legal team is reviewed by your Matching team to ensure good personality fits so that you and your surrogate enjoy a comfortable relationship throughout the journey.

Expectations surrounding termination and selective reduction: It's important that surrogates and intended parents share similar views about the termination of a pregnancy if a situation develops in which a reduction or termination is considered. Intended parents often prefer to make the choice regarding termination.

 Finding an Egg Donor in Michigan

Finding an Egg Donor in Michigan

Some fertile women donate their eggs to enable another individual or couple to conceive a child (with or without the help of a surrogate). Egg donors can be the intended parent herself or a surrogate for heterosexual or homosexual couples or individuals. Intended parents who have concerns about infertility can opt to build their families through egg donation.

Circle Surrogacy guides you through the entire egg donation process and helps you coordinate with an IVF clinic of your choice. The first place most intended parents start their egg donor search is in an egg donor database. Most egg donor databases are set up so you can search for an egg donor by specific criteria. Circle's egg donor database is easy to use and easy to navigate.

 Surrogacy Laws in Michigan

Surrogacy Laws in Michigan

We are often asked by intended parents, "Is surrogacy legal in Michigan?" The answer is not straightforward. Compensated surrogacy is illegal in Michigan. This means that women cannot be compensated for being surrogates if they live in Michigan. It does not mean that intended parents living in Michigan cannot use surrogacy to grow their families. The current state law considers any agreement a woman makes to act as a surrogate and then relinquish parental or custodial rights to the child to be void and unenforceable. Anyone who has a child through surrogacy with a surrogate who resides in Michigan—even altruistic, uncompensated surrogacy—must have a judge recognize them as the legal parent or go through the adoption process.

Circle Surrogacy matches intended parents in Michigan with gestational surrogates who live in states with favorable surrogacy laws. It is safe and secure for intended parents who live in Michigan to do surrogacy.

Getting Started

Whether you are intended parents or interested in becoming a surrogate or egg donor, the surrogacy process can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Learning more about surrogacy is the first step of your journey.

Why Can’t I Be a Surrogate in Michigan?

At this time, due to the gestational surrogacy laws in the state, Circle Surrogacy is unable to work with women from the state of Michigan who wish to become surrogate mothers.

Surrogacy laws are constantly changing, so please continue to check back regularly if you're interested in becoming a surrogate mother in Michigan.