Other Expenses

In addition to the surrogate fees and agency and legal expenses, this $100,000 investment also includes the medical costs of the regular prenatal visits, tests and the delivery, which can total upwards of $10,000, depending on where you live and the specifics of each case. Even if insurance coverage is provided, you may still have to pay for some of the procedures involved for you and the surrogate, such as in-vitro fertilization and artificial insemination. For instance, an egg donor alone can cost you another $4,000 to $10,000. And the cost of these procedures depends on what’s involved and how many times they need to be repeated. In addition, some insurance companies have co-pays or deductibles for services that you will need to include on your list of expenses.

Other things that can bring the total up to and often beyond the $100,000 mark include cost of maternity clothes, prenatal vitamins, and other living costs for the surrogate that you might need to cover, depending on the situation. If the surrogate has other children, you may need to cover child care for them during doctor’s visits and labor, and if the surrogate must be on bed rest during some or all of the pregnancy, you will often need to make up for lost wages.

Make It Legal

With so many things to consider, experts stress how important it is to do your research and come to agreement with your surrogate beforehand and spell out all of the terms legally, so everyone knows what to expect. You may also want to connect with support groups such as American Surrogacy Center and the Center for Surrogate Parenting and Egg Donation. You can also do a search for other local resources and groups that exist in your area.

A Final Note

If you are interested in entering into a surrogacy arrangement but can’t swing the costs that come with it, there is one other thing to consider. You can hire a surrogate from India for a small portion of what you would spend in the United States and there, the practice is legalized. However, critics point out that the mortality rate for infants in India is much higher than in the United States, so it is important to weigh all of the factors. However, people who have gone this route say they have spent somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000, even after adding in the surrogate’s fee, legal and medical costs and even travel expenses. That makes this a viable option for some would-be-parents and in fact, a growing number of people are exploring this alternative today.