Women choose to become surrogates for a variety of personal and compassionate reasons. As a reward, they receive extra money that can help both themselves and their family during and after pregnancy. For example, some Surrogates place the money towards a house or towards their children’s education; others use it to travel or to save for future family expenses.
At Omega Family Surrogates we practice Compensated Gestational Surrogacy. This means that the Surrogate / Gestational Carrier (GC) will be paid to carry an embryo to full term for the Intended Parents she was matched with. Monthly allowance payments are provided upon signing the Gestational Carrier Agreement (GSA). Before then, a surrogate begins to receive bonuses and payments as she complies with certain timelines. For example, if she obtains her medical records or legal paperwork within a specific amount of time, she will receive a bonus for that.
Before getting into the specifics of the compensation package, it is necessary to understand certain concepts that Omega Family Surrogates use to explain the payment process.
Understanding the Compensation Package
1. Number of Pregnancies a Surrogate Allowed According to ASRM Guidelines
There is a limit to the number of pregnancies a woman may have and remain healthy. With the support and knowledge of fertility clinics, Omega Family Surrogates has established that a woman may not pass the number of 6 pregnancies total and may only have 3 Surro-Pregnancies.
If there is a limit to the number of pregnancies a first-time Surrogate can have, what is considered a Pregnancy? A) A full-term pregnancy B) A miscarriage C) An abortion
2. Number of Journeys Allowed
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), a Surrogate may serve three times as a Surrogate, without surpassing her 6th pregnancy. If she has already had 1 pregnancy, she can be a Surrogate only 3 times, no matter if she has not reached her 6th pregnancy.
What if a woman can no longer be a Surrogate?
Even though a Surrogate may no longer have babies for Intended Parents, Omega Family Surrogates has a variety of options for a woman to be involved with Surrogates and Surrogacy even though she does not serve as an active Surrogate.
Omega Family Surrogates who will not be going on another journey are able to continue attending Surrogate dinners and share their experiences with other Surrogates or women who are interested in Surrogacy. Depending on their interest and vocation, they can train to become Surrogate Liaisons as well. There is a referral program, the Ambassador program, through which they could identify potential Surrogates who align with what Omega stands for.
3. Base Compensation
All Surrogates, depending on if it’s their first, second, or third time serving as a Surrogate have a base payment. This base payment ranges from $40,000 to $60,000. There are additional payments that for a third-time Surrogate could mean earning up to $75,000.00 for that specific journey. Details will be explained further along in the article.
| First | Second | Third | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journey Base Compensation | $35,000 | $50,000 | $60,000 |
4. Additional Payments (Omega refers to them as Fees or Allowances)
Additional payments are provided if and when a surrogate encounters particular circumstances such as multiple births. These payments are not included in the base-pay because not all pregnancies face the same situations.
| Allowance | Amount | Periodicity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1- Monthly allowance: |
To cover parking, or meals you have to take out of home because you must attend an appointment. |
$300 – $1,000 | Monthly, increasing depending on how far you are along in the pregnancy |
| 2- Embryo
Transfer Fee: |
Each time you have an embryo transfer you are paid an additional amount. | $1,000 | One-time fee for each transfer |
| Maternity Medical Appointment Allowance |
You will be paid for each medical appointment you attend. | $150 | Per appointment. Reaches between $3000 and $4000 per journey |
5. Possible Payments
A possible circumstance is something that could occur, but only if agreed upon by the Intended Parents and Surrogate, for example carrying twins. The Intended Parents already have their embryos, and it is agreed upon that the Surrogate will have more than one embryo implanted at the Embryo Transfer. This is done to increase the chances of pregnancy success. If the Surrogate does turn out to be carrying twins, she will be entitled to an additional payment.
In the case of a Mock Cycle, the Surrogate’s doctor may have her go under a “test” cycle, in which the doctor tests how her body reacts to the medication that will allow her uterus’s lining to thicken. If she responds well, then the process continues. Not all doctors will consider this Mock Cycle necessary, therefore depending on the doctor, this will or will not be paid to the Surrogate.
In the chart below you can see two circumstances of many that involve an additional payment to the base pay assigned to your journey. This is not an exhaustive list, meaning that there are circumstances not listed in this chart.
| Income | Amount | Periodicity |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Pregnancy Allowance: |
$7,000.00 |
One-time fee |
| Mock Cycle Allowance: | $250.00 |
There are other possible circumstances that can and will be negotiated with the Intended Parents that may imply more compensation. The important thing is that both the Surrogate and the Intended Parents know that this family completion journey is in benefit of a healthy baby and a healthy Surrogate.
Summary
Omega Family Surrogates pay the Surrogate based on how many journeys she has had. The more journeys the higher the pay. A Surrogate recieves her base payment, as well as those additional and possible allowances that her particular journey requires. The best payment of all is being able to help a family who without Surrogacy could never become parents on their own. A Surrogate’s Purpose is to extend a family, and to help their own family as they do so.
| First Journey | Second Journey | Third Journey | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Compensation | $35,000 – $40,000 | $50,000 | $60,000 |
| Monthly Non-Accountable Allowance | $7,900+ | $7,900+ | $7,900+ |
| Injectable Medications Allowance | $500 | $500 | $500 |
| Embryo Transfer Allowance | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Maternity Medical Appointment Allowance | $3,000 – $4,000 | $3,000 – $4,000 | $3,000 – $4,000 |
| Total | $47,000 – $52,000 | $62,000 | $72,000 |
