Surrogacy is a wonderful way for intended parents to grow their families, and for gestational surrogates to carry babies for those who can't do so on their own. The surrogacy process involves many professionals, and can feel complex. Circle Surrogacy is here to help you navigate surrogacy in New York, from the surrogacy process, to surrogacy laws, how to find a surrogate and much more.
Starting in February of 2021, women from New York can become gestational carriers!
Intended parents who live in New York, however, can enter into surrogacy contracts now. In fact, Circle works with many parents who reside in New York. If you're looking to find a surrogate or egg donor, you have many options. Whether you in live in NYC or Albany or anywhere in between – here's everything you need to know about gestational surrogacy.
Who does surrogacy help? Surrogacy allows couples and individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ages and sexual orientations to build their families.
Intended parents from New York who come to Circle for surrogacy include:
• Heterosexual couples who have struggled with infertility
• Women who are unable to carry a child
• Intended parents who have a genetic defect or health condition they don't want to pass onto the child
• Same sex intended parents who want to have a genetic link to their baby
We partner with intended parents who have all different reasons for coming to surrogacy and egg donation. We're proud to have helped bring over 2,000 babies into the world.
New York is a great place to live if you're considering parenthood through surrogacy and/or egg donation. And starting in 2021, New York will be a great state for surrogate mothers.
In New York and the surrounding Tri-state area, you'll find some of the world's most notable hospitals and IVF clinics. Intended parents and surrogates from New York – and international intended parents who travel to the U.S. via New York – will have access to respected reproductive endocrinologists.
And while intended parents can start being matched with surrogates from New York starting in February 2021, New York is surrounded by other surrogacy-friendly states such as Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – all of which have very favorable surrogacy laws. Surrogates from these 3 states are in driving distance from New York area clinics.
Circle Surrogacy also has an office in New York which has allowed them to not only have established relationships with well-known New York clinics, but also to have a community of NY-based parents through our program. Intended parents interested in surrogacy would meet with our New York-based support team, both of whom are parents through our program
Circle Surrogacy has been making parenthood possible for straight and LGBTQ+ singles and couples from New York through surrogacy and egg donation since opening the doors to our Boston office in 1995.
The surrogacy process can be complex at times, with many milestones that lead to the final outcome: the birth of your baby! It's important to understand and prepare for the steps in the surrogacy process.
You may choose to undergo your surrogacy journey independently, or with the help of a surrogacy agency. With 25 years of experience, Circle Surrogacy recommends working with an agency to ensure you have the proper support to ensure you have as smooth and safe of a journey as possible.
For intended parents in New York, the best place to start a surrogacy journey and finding a surrogacy agency is by doing your research. This can be in the form of online research, speaking with IVF doctors, or connecting with others who have been through the surrogacy process as parents.
1. Do your research! Learn all there is to know about surrogacy.
2. Write down what's important to you in a surrogacy journey. What type of surrogate/intended parent relationship are you looking for? What level of surrogacy support?
3. Make a list of agencies that fit your criteria, and reach out. Finding an agency that "feels right" is important!
Next Steps for New York Intended Parents:
Once intended parents have identified 1-3 agencies that seem like a good fit, it's a good idea to fill out an interest form and connect with the parent intake team. Once they reach out, you can decide if you're ready for a surrogacy consultation. If you've selected an agency with which you'd like to meet with, the first step is to schedule a consultation.
Becoming a parent in New York is safe and simple, and Circle has worked with many parents from the Empire State over the last 2 decades. New York parents should feel confident partnering with Circle Surrogacy to grow their families through surrogacy and/or egg donation.
Circle Surrogacy has an office in midtown Manhattan, where our local New York Parent Intake team meets with clients. We are happy to meet with clients during the week or on weekends, during the day or in the evenings. When parents have a consultation with Circle, it allows them to share their story, why they are considering surrogacy, and to ask all of their questions about the process, the agency and costs.
In fact, how much surrogacy costs is one of the most-asked questions we receive. Circle is open and transparent about surrogacy costs on our website, and we are ready to speak with you about what costs go into a typical surrogacy journey.
Surrogacy costs in New York are based on whether or not you require an egg donor and the type of program you choose.
Surrogacy costs can be compartmentalized into four categories:
• Professional Fees
• Gestational Carrier (i.e., surrogate) and Egg Donor Fees
• Medical & Insurance Expenses
• IVF Expenses
Most agencies do not offer fixed costs for any of these cost categories, which can result in surprise fees and financial uncertainty throughout the surrogacy journey. However, Circle Surrogacy fixes the costs for Professional Fees, Gestational Carrier and Egg Donor Fees and Medical & Insurance Expenses.
For intended parents living in New York, Circle Surrogacy offers two exclusive fixed price program options: our Fixed Cost program and our Journey Protection Guarantee program. Both options have fixed costs that do not change during your journey, so you can plan for costs with no surprises.
Circle is the only agency that offers these types of programs. Our Fixed Cost Program and Journey Protection Guarantee are designed to help as many intended parents as possible bring home a baby while reducing variable costs.
Circle's costs include all agency fees, attorneys’ fees, screening and surrogate fees, and insurance costs. They do not include IVF costs.
Surrogacy only: $125,500
Surrogacy plus egg donation: $149,500
(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.
Surrogacy only: $135,500
Surrogacy plus egg donation: $159,500
(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.
Finding your surrogate match is an exciting time in your journey to parenthood. Circle works with many surrogate mothers from New York's surrounding states, and starting in February 2021 will begin working with women from New York state. Additionally, Circle's main office is in Boston, with a small office in New York, and we have a strong representation on the east coast, making it even easier for surrogates and intended parents to connect.
The first steps in finding a surrogate mother match is to determine what you're looking for in a surrogate, your relationship with your surrogate, and what your expectations for your journey are.
It's important to be honest when thinking about your answers, as your Program Coordinator will use these answers – as well as your geographic location and views on termination – in order to find you the best match.
You'll be asked to fill out an intended parent profile that not only allows us to get to know you better, but also helps your Program Coordination team find your surrogate match.
For your profile, you'll be asked to share information about yourself, your relationship (if you are coupled), your family, your hobbies, your plans for parenthood, and what brought you to surrogacy. We'll ask that you also share photos of yourself, your loved ones and of anything else that gives a good sense of who you are as people. This profile paints a picture of who you are as intended parents for potential surrogate matches.
In addition to your profile, Circle will use other criteria to find your gestational carrier match, including your preferences on:
• Communication. What level do you hope to have with your surrogate?
• Surrogate's location. Do you prefer she live in a specific state?
• Number of embryos to transfer
• Your views on selective reduction and termination
If you are doing an independent surrogacy journey, you can use the above as guidelines as to what you should be looking for in a suitable match.
Intended Parents can keep three criteria in mind when searching for a surrogate mother in New York or surrounding states:
1. Is she an appropriate legal fit? In the United States, each state has its own laws regarding surrogacy. Our legal team ensures that the laws of the surrogate’s home state (where the delivery will take place) complement the laws of intended parents' home state (including laws around same sex parenting). The legal department will always approve a match from a legal standpoint before a surrogate profile is presented to intended parents. We will never knowingly present matches that are not a safe legal fit.
2. Does her personality and surrogacy expectations match yours? Once the legal team presents its list of safe matches, the matching team reviews the list to ensure good personality fits, since we want this to be a comfortable relationship throughout the entirety of the journey. Both surrogates and intended parents undergo phone calls or in-person meetings with the Circle team early in the process; these meetings help determine your personality as it relates to surrogacy. We also look at IPs' and surrogates' expectations and hopes for the journey including number of embryos to transfer and communication styles.
3. Expectations Surrounding Termination and Selective Reduction. We ask IPs and surrogates their views on termination of a pregnancy as we want to create a match of IPs and surrogates who share similar views. We want to ensure that the views of the surrogate and the views of the intended parents align in the event a situation arises where a reduction or termination is considered. In our experience, many intended parents prefer the option to make the choice of termination.
Some intended parents require an egg donor in order to grow their family. Finding the right egg donor match is key! Here's how to go about finding your egg donor, whether or not she lives in the Empire State!
Finding the perfect egg donor can feel like an overwhelming task. How do you begin to find an egg donor who will help you grow your family?
The first step to finding your perfect egg donor match is to think about the type of woman that you're looking for. Some intended parents look for a young woman who has similar qualities that they possess. Other intended parents look for an egg donor who complements their personality or appearance.
And remember, nature vs nurture – not every characteristic or trait is hereditary!
Most intended parents start their egg donor search in an egg donor database. Most Egg Donor databases are set up so that you can search for an egg donor by certain criteria. Circle's egg donor database is easy to use, and easy to navigate.
Making a list of search criteria before you begin can helpful. Some considerations are:
You may not know what you're looking for in a donor, and that's okay! Some intended parents take the "I'll know her when I see her" approach.
New York is one of the most active states for intended parents who work with Circle Surrogacy to grow their families. Circle has great success in helping New Yorkers become parents. With its active LGBTQ+ community, New York is a wonderful place to live if you are looking to become a parent!
The New York Surrogacy Law – the Child Parent Security Act – passed in 2020. The modern law goes into effect in February 2021. Intended Parents from New York can continue to work with Circle Surrogacy as they have in the past, and take advantage of the new law once it's in effect.
Here's what the new law means for intended parents:
Here's what the new law means for gestational carriers:
When the New York Surrogacy Law goes into effect in February of 2021, women from New York can apply to become surrogate mothers!
Women who apply to become surrogate mothers are women who want to be part of something bigger than they are. They understand the importance of family, and want to give the gift of parenthood to those who cannot achieve it on their own.
Women who apply to become surrogate mothers are those who have had easy, uncomplicated pregnancies, and who have enjoyed being pregnant. One thing they have in common is that surrogate moms are generous, adventurous and kind.
Women from the Empire State must meet the below requirements in order to qualify to become a gestational carrier:
The above requirements, plus this full list of requirements, are what women must meet in order to become surrogate mothers in New York.
If you live in New York and you apply to become a surrogate, you will have the opportunity to work with a local, East Coast agency – Circle Surrogacy is headquartered in Boston with an office in midtown Manhattan, NY.
Because of this, Circle Surrogacy works with many intended parents from the East Coast, including the Tri-state area. Surrogates from New York will have the opportunity to work with intended parents who are local to them, and in many cases, fertility clinics that are within driving distance.
Here are some of the benefits to being a surrogate in New York State:
• Opportunity to be matched with intended parents and clinics local to the New York area, which helps cut down on the travel you'd need to do
• Exceptional Compensation and benefits, including pay up to $60k
• Gaining a "second family" in the intended parents with whom you are matched
• An incredible sense of self-fulfillment from giving the greatest gift humanly possible to another family
• A personal journey coordination team and licensed social worker to support you
As a surrogate, you have the opportunity to earn between $50,000 and $60,000 in payments and benefits. Surrogate mothers are paid a base fee of between $30,000-$40,000, plus additional compensation and benefits for milestones along their journey.
Certain states are deemed "high-demand states" for surrogates, due to the favorable locations to airports and clinics.
How much women make as a surrogate will depend on a few criteria: the state they live in, if they have insurance, and if they're an experienced gestational carrier.
Surrogate payments are made monthly, and surrogate mothers start earning compensation and benefits even before they are pregnant.
Your surrogate compensation is paid to you throughout the duration of your surrogacy journey. In fact, you will receive payments before you are even pregnant.
Surrogate pay includes the following:
• Base compensation. Calculate your base compensation with the calculator above to see how much you could earn as a surrogate in your state.
• Payments before you are pregnant. You will be compensated early in your journey for completing tasks and milestones. These payments are in addition to your base compensation.
• Payments during and after pregnancy. Surrogate mothers also receive financial support for necessities during the pregnancy, such as maternity clothing, housekeeping, for pumping and shipping breast milk and more.
• Additional benefits. Surrogates will also receive benefits that while are not in the form of monetary payments, are priceless in ensuring you're protected and you have a smooth journey. These benefits include: social work support, legal counsel, life insurance and more.
Circle provides best-in-class surrogate support because so many of our staff are experienced surrogates – and they have shared with us the type of support surrogates need on their journey. Our surrogates receive top-notch prescreening, social work, legal and journey support from the moment they fill out their application until months after they deliver. Our team is ready to answer any question you can dream of (and then some).
You'll also be connected with other surrogate mothers through private social groups, and you'll experience exclusive events with the Circle team.
We can also connect you with skilled, trustworthy experts. For example, when it’s time for you to review legal contracts, we’ll recommend an attorney local to you with whom we’ve worked with previously, and who has a strong working knowledge of Assisted Reproduction Technology law. It’s just one more way we can clear the path for you and make the entire surrogacy program as seamless as possible. Read our blog post about the 10 steps to becoming to a surrogate.
As a New York gestational surrogate, the question of who you help is almost as important as your decision to help. After all, you and the prospective parents will embark on a monumental journey together. You want to be sure that you connect with and trust them fully. That’s why Circle Surrogacy built an extensive and thorough matching process.
As a first step, your Surrogate Support Team will try to find the perfect intended parent(s) for you, based on personality fit and legal circumstances. You’ll get to review each other’s profiles, ask questions, and generally feel each other out. 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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