2×01 Surrogacy: Can We Make It Cheaper?

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Bringing a biological baby into the world can cost $180,000. For twins it can be around a quarter million. The biggest question is: Can we make it cheaper?

Through our podcast we have met so many dads in various stages of the parenthood journey. But whether it’s in gay dad Facebook groups or in face-to-face interaction, there’s no doubt that the biggest issue gay dads tackle is the cost of surrogacy.

In our season premiere of Daddy Squared we decided to dive into the costs of surrogacy and try to figure out how flexible (downward, we mean) these costs are. The first step for us was to find a surrogacy agency that we can trust and that agrees to be transparent with us on the money issue. Our motto was: no hidden costs.

Yan conducted research by asking gay dads in Facebook groups and dads in the community on our Instagram account. In the research, Circle Surrogacy was the #1 agency that dads were happy with in terms of client service and support. We turned to Circle Surrogacy asked to talk about money, and surprisingly (to us) we were answered quickly and warmly. — A quick disclosure: Circle Surrogacy, through this process has also become a sponsor of Daddy SQR podcast, but in our episode they speak generally about options, not specifically about themselves, and their openness has been truly refreshing.

According to Sam Hyde, President of Circle Surrogacy, costs can be flexed up or flexed down based on small choices you can make along the journey. Examples include travel costs, surrogate location, egg donor history, etc.

“When you’re going through a journey like this there are, unfortunately, quite a few ‘fingers in the pie’ with regard to costs,” Hyde explains, “and I think that what drives confusion sometimes, or anxiety around the costs, is the different parties that are involved.”

“To break it down at a high level, there are a couple of big buckets you’ll be looking at when it comes to cost,” Sam says. “The first one that I list, just because of my position, is the agency fee. This is the cost associated with the surrogacy or egg donation agency that will help you and holds your hand along the journey.”

During our research we realized that some agencies (Circle, for example) include in their fees all the legal costs as well. Other agencies use an outside fertility lawyer that bills separately, so when comparing agency fees make sure you’re comparing “apples to apples.”

“The second bucket,” continued Sam Hyde, “is compensation for the actual women helping you along on this journey. So that’s compensation for the egg donor to go through a cycle to produce the eggs that create the embryos, and compensation for the gestational surrogate who carries the child.

“The third big bucket you’ll run into is costs around the actual medical care that needs to be done. You’ll work with a clinic that you’ll pay for the medical work of the journey.

“The last big bucket that you’ll run into is about maternity insurance. This is usually a point of confusion for some of our international clients who come from countries with a universal coverage. In the U.S. we need to put insurance vehicles in place for both the egg donor and the surrogate.”

Conclusion: In the case of Circle Surrogacy, your surrogacy costs split between two parties: agency and fertility clinic.

Here’s your journey and how it splits financially:

Stage 1: Embryo Creation	Agency Expenses	Circle	$9,500
	Legal Support Fee	Circle	$3,200
	Freeze Sperm and Tests	Fertility Clinic	See Below
	Egg donor compensation	Circle	$9,000
	Travel Costs	Circle	$2,500
	Egg donor legal fees	Circle	$600
	Creating embryos for freezing	Fertility Clinic	See Below

Stage 2: Pregnancy	Agency Costs	Circle	$27,750
	Surrogacy Program Costs*	Circle	$9,200
	Surrogate’s Legal Fees	Circle	$1,200
	Arrangement of Surrogate’s Local Clinic for monitoring	Circle	$500
	Surrogate Travel	Circle	$2,500
	Embryo Transfer	Fertility Clinic	See Below
	Pregnancy fees	Circle	$46,500
	Birth+hospital fees	Insurance	$20,000** (estimated)
	Finalizing all legal Documents	Circle	$7,500

*This includes: Social Work screenings for Surrogate and her partner, including rematches, criminal history and background checks for Surrogate and her partner, enrollment of all surrogates in Social Work Support Program for Surrogate, Intended Parents’ legal fees for Surrogate Agreement (including rematches)
There are two types of insurance, complications insurance, and then the medical maternity insurance for surrogates.
Complication insurance estimates are as follows. Complications insurance covers for the retrieval (for an egg donor) or transfer (for a surrogate). Again, these are estimates:
• ED Complications one cycle – $400
• ED Unlimited Cycles – $800
• ED & GS Unlimited Cycles – $960
• GS Unlimited cycles – $450
• GS One Cycle – $250-$300
Surrogate medical (health) insurance to cover the pregnancy, can range between $15,000 and $26,000 (more for twins).

A major player in costs is the fertility clinic. We have conducted a little research among the top three recommended fertility clinics and we discovered that there are definitely hidden costs. Sometimes the ultimate cost will be significantly higher than what you expect. Check out this little comparison.

	Packages	Not included
Pacific Fertility Center (Los Angeles) Pfcla.com	$37,750 Live Birth Guaranteed	PGS testing ($6,000) PGD testing ($1,800-$4,000 depends on the disease you are looking for) Prices are for 8 embryos.
The Fertility Center of Las Vegas Fertilitycenterlv.com	IVF cycle and lab fee $32,000 Anesthesia for egg retrieval $500 Egg donor meds $4,500 Total: $37,200 (Money-back-guaranteed package: $45,251)	PGS Testing: $4,725 PGD Testing: $5,000 (Prices are for 8 embryos) $1,900 – additional sperm provider
HRC Havingbabies.com	Egg Donor and Surrogacy Cycle with PGS $36,000 (one cycle, one sperm provider)	PGD Post-embryo transfer medications

To sum it up, there are ways that we think can make the journey easier financially. Most of these ways also affect the amount of time it will take you to have a baby—they will stretch out the “journey.” Here are things that you can look at in order to save up to $30,000 or even more in your surrogacy costs:

PAUSE between the first stage and the second stage. This pause will help you rest a little bit from the madness and regroup financially. The first stage is easier financial, and very crucial and stressful.
Choose an egg donor who is closer to the fertility clinic that you work with (can reduce travel costs for her)
Choose a surrogate who is relatively close to you and the clinic, but does not reside in a high-demand state
When selecting an egg donor, consult with the fertility clinic before the final choice. Analysis of your semen and the egg donor’s medical past can save the costs of PGD testing
Negotiate with fertility clinics about waving extra prices (like second sperm analysis)
Choose an agency that has an in-house fertility lawyer and includes the attorney prices in its overall fee.

About Circle Surrogacy

Circle was founded in 1995 on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to be a parent. To this day, that belief is at the core of everything we do. For over 20 years we’ve helped straight and LGBTQ+ couples and singles around the world fulfill their dreams of parenthood. We’ve helped bring more than 1,900 babies into this world… and counting.

We’re an agency comprised of social workers and lawyers, accountants and outreach associates, and program managers and coordinators; but, more importantly, we’re an agency made up of parents, surrogates and egg donors, who are passionate about helping people build their families, and invested in each and every journey.

Sam Hyde, President, Circle Surrogacy

Sam joined Circle in 2017, after spending 10 years advising and building a variety of businesses.

Having experienced fertility challenges when starting his own family, Sam understands firsthand the importance of support and help to fulfill dreams of parenthood. Sam and his wife are now blessed with two beautiful girls with the help of IVF.