As a young woman on the verge of accepting a role as a surrogate mother, you are on the edge of giving the greatest gift that one person can give to another. Without the giving nature of people like you, there will always be far too many deserving parents being denied the opportunity to raise a child.
In the following sections, the information will be directed at the surrogate definition, types of surrogacy, and how does surrogacy work.
THE SURROGATE DEFINITION
The technical surrogacy meaning, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “a woman who becomes pregnant by artificial insemination or by implantation of a fertilized egg created by in vitro fertilization for the purpose of carrying the fetus to term for another person or persons.”
In layperson’s terms, it simply means a woman who is contracted to carry a child for the benefit of intended parents who may or may not be able to conceive their own child by natural means.
TYPES OF SURROGACY
In Pennsylvania, there are two general types of surrogacy. We are using Pennsylvania since we are a surrogacy agency in Philadelphia.
We’ll start with the traditional surrogacy process in Pennsylvania. In this case, it’s the surrogate who furnishes her own egg cells for fertilization. The sperm cells could come from the intended father or a donor. Under these circumstances, the mother would not have a genetic connection to the baby.
The other type is the gestational surrogacy process in Pennsylvania. In this case, the intended mother’s egg cells are used during the in vitro fertilization process and subsequently implanted in the uterus of a gestational carrier, the surrogate mother. Again, the sperm cells could come from the intended father or a donor. With this option, the intended mother would have a genetic connection to the baby. If the sperm came from the intended father, the child would be born genetically connected to both parents.
HOW TO BECOME A SURROGATE MOTHER IN PHILADELPHIA
With the surrogate definition out of the way, we can move into more depth about the surrogacy meaning in terms of how it would apply to you as the potential surrogate mother. We want to remind you this is a legal process, which requires that everyone abides by very strict guidelines for the protection of everyone involved in the process.
Every day, intended parents are inquiring about the possibility of finding a surrogate mother or gestational carrier. As a top surrogacy agency in Philadelphia, it’s a privilege for us to try and locate the perfect surrogate. That’s where giving women as you figure into the process.
- Age must be between 21 and 40
- Must in be in very good physical and mental health
- Your Body Mass Index (BMI) must be between 20-32
- You must have successfully delivered one or more babies without any pregnancy or delivery complications
- Women with young children still at home are preferred
- Must live in a stable home environment
- No history of substance abuse or felonious criminal behavior – nonsmokers strongly preferred
- Must be willing to abide by all medical requests
If you were to clear all of these criteria, you would qualify to serve as a surrogate. It would then be incumbent on the agency to match you with your intended parents. Yes, both you and the intended parents would have a say in the process before an agreement is reached. That’s how to become a surrogate mother.
Once an agreement is made, the agreement is immortalized in a contract that clearly defines exactly what each participating party must do. Once the contract has been signed, you or the intended mother would start treatment with fertility drugs.
At the appropriate time, the egg cells would be harvested and immediately fertilized in vitro with the appropriate sperm. The first fertilized egg would be implanted in your uterus and monitored for up to 2 weeks. Once pregnancy is confirmed, the pregnancy is underway.
THE SURROGATE COST IN PHILADELPHIA
As you are likely aware, the surrogate cost in Philadelphia at our agency is covered 100% by the intended parents. For your edification, most intended parents can expect to pay a total sum of between $75 and $85. Yes, a big part of that sum would be your compensation for serving as a surrogate mother. It’s certainly understandable that this would be in the back of your mind as you were reviewing how to become a surrogate mother.
Let’s zero in on your potential compensation. Keep in mind that compensation rates could vary from one state to another and one agency to another. This compensation package is only an estimate for our surrogacy agency in Philadelphia. For more precise numbers which depend on your particular situation, please contact us.
Your potential compensation would be divided into two components: a base fee and other fees/reimbursable. Your base fee would be $35k, though it could be higher if you were to have prior experience as a contracted surrogate. Here is a list of the other fees and reimbursable to which you would be entitled:
- Maternity clothing allowance – lump sum payment of $500+
- Monthly allowance for incidentals – $200 per month
- Full medical/life/organ damage insurance coverage
- Additional $500 for any required additional invasive procedures
- C-Section compensation of $3,000
- Compensation for multiple babies of $5,000
- Embryo transfer fee of $1,000
- Reimbursement for lost wages that are due to attending appointments
- Reimbursement of travel costs
- Reimbursement for childcare and housekeeping costs if prescribed bed rest
- $150 a week for pumping and storing breast milk if requested
We’ll make it easy for you. Your total combined compensation would fall between $54K and $64K. Note: Some things are negotiable, something that would need to be handled prior to the signing of a contract.
That’s it. That’s how to become a surrogate mother in Philadelphia and all that would be done during the entire process.
As you can see, this is quite an endeavor, but it’s a vitally important process in the hearts and minds of people who want so much to be parents but have issues that make it problematic. That’s why you choosing to give of yourself in this way would be viewed with such high regard. Unique is the woman who would give of her heart, body, and time to make someone else’s dreams come true.
