DON’T FALL PREY TO FALSE ADVERTISING

You may have noticed promotions and advertisements for compensation up to $70,000 or $80,000. These are gimmicks to get your attention and convince you to work with their agency. If you do your research, and I sincerely encourage you to do so, you will find starting compensation for a first-time surrogate is $40,000 - $45,000 in New England NOT $80,000.

As a woman who researched surrogacy before becoming a surrogate myself, I found this extremely confusing and challenging to understand. I want to help you understand what the language means, so you can make an educated decision.

What you should be looking for when researching a reputable gestational surrogacy matching agency is the bottom line, base compensation. Base compensation is the amount you receive through the monthly installments for a standard pregnancy. The additional funds they are prompting you to believe you will receive that lead to $70,000-$80,000 are for pregnancy complications.

The much higher compensation they are eluding to only occur with many additional compensations that would be paid to you for complications, such as a miscarriage, termination, loss of reproductive organs, etc. Additional compensation for complications such as a miscarriage could be up to $3,000, or an additional transfer for $2,000, or maternity clothes for $1,500.

Some companies also calculate into these higher numbers lost wages, which are figured in for hours you miss work for appointments, medical screening, delivery, and maternity leave. These amounts are a part of the Gestational Carrier Agreement, the contact you create between the surrogate and intended parents. The amount you receive is based on your hourly income and the contract outlines how many hours and for what you are reimbursed. This should not be looked at as part of the compensation, as it is above and beyond the base compensation. This is money you would earn if you were at work, rather than at appointments. There are also lost wages for your partner/spouse for the time they miss for appointments and the delivery.

The organization you choose to work with should take the time to discuss each of these points with you and answer your questions on the financial breakdown, the medical process, legal process, matching process, etc. This should be done before you complete a long and tedious application.

Vermont Surrogacy Network always starts the process with a phone conversation for each gestational surrogate, to ensure that our surrogates are confident in the process and our organization before asking them to complete the application and start the process.

We believe in making the surrogacy experience as intimate and personal as the surrogate would like it to be. We want her to feel supported and appreciated for the time, energy, and dedication she is willing to put into such an incredible gift for the intended parents.

If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact us at Vermont Surrogacy Network. We will gladly answer your questions about surrogacy and the financial process. You can connect with us through our website at www.vtsurrogacy.com.