What is Surrogacy Compensation and How Much Do They Make?

You are thinking about becoming a surrogate but have many questions you would like answered before embarking on the journey. Well, you have come to the right place. Here at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma, we are a dedicated licensed agency ready to serve you and make this process safe, comprehensive, and fulfilling. You may have been touched somewhere in life by infertility: friends, family, or possibly once yourself. Whatever your reason, giving birth can be a beautiful and connective experience. You believe in the miracle of love. Enduring through a labor of love to help a desiring individual or couple grow a family is rewarding. You are making an excellent and brave choice. Let us help make this transition as seamless as possible. You have just discovered this fantastic gift called surrogacy and wonder, “What is a surrogate mother, exactly, how do I become a surrogate, and is there any surrogacy compensation ?” Let us explain. The traditional surrogate mother is someone who carries a child to term for an individual or couple who otherwise could not have completed a safe birth on their own.

Traditionally, a surrogate mother provides the egg, and the intended parent or donor provides the sperm. This practice resulted in legal troubles, family issues, and heartache because the relationship between the mother and child and relinquishing the child to the intended parents was complicated. For those reasons mentioned and many more, traditional surrogacy is no longer legal. 

What is a Surrogate Mother?

The type of surrogacy we facilitate is gestational surrogacy. Gestational surrogacy is an act of surrogacy where the birth mother carries a child full-term through IVF (in vitro fertilization). During IVF, the sperm or egg of intended parents or donors is joined under medical supervision in a lab to create an embryo. This embryo gets transferred to the uterus of a gestational carrier in hopes that it will implant. The growing child has no biological relation to the surrogate as they did not provide the egg. We use the word surrogate because it is recognized widely. 

You sign legal paperwork at the beginning of the birthing venture. As a surrogate mother, you must agree to undergo pre-screening for mental and physical health, submit to an in-home assessment, background checks, and criminal history checks. To become a surrogate, you agree to medical treatment that protects and facilitates fertility and a healthy pregnancy before and after embryo transfer, including:

• Birth control
• Blood tests
• Injections
• Prenatal care
• Ongoing OB visits
• Vitamins

You will begin this adventure with an OB picked by the intended parents and the agency, but after implantation, you may switch to your own OB if that is what makes you more comfortable.

Surrogacy Compensation

There are several reasons that you may want to become a surrogate. Any of your bases are valid and deserve fulfillment throughout the process. Some may choose to be a gestational surrogate because they enjoy the pregnancy experience. Some get joy out of the connectedness they feel with the baby and the intended parents throughout the journey. Others may do it to help others grow a family or for compensation. Whatever reason you choose to become a surrogate is valid and is your right. You are performing a miracle for others and deserve compensation. 

You may be wondering, “do surrogates receive compensation?” and the answer is yes! Surrogacy compensation is a right, and it’s your right to know how much you’ll be compensated before signing any paperwork. The typical gestational surrogacy compensation is between $50,000 and $80,000. You will have to provide proof of reliable transportation to medical appointments. Depending on your comfort levels, some intended parents may wish to attend all of your doctor’s visits to be a part of every experience their baby goes through and build a close relationship with you as their surrogate that lasts beyond the birth. In the end, you will relinquish the child to the intended parent as you signed in your agreement. Keep in mind that this is not something to consider as a stable income or career.

Surrogacy Qualifications

To become a surrogate, you must meet qualifications. You will undergo pre-screening for home life, family and friend support, reliable transportation, medical testing for drugs and diseases, and mental health evaluation. Surrogate requirements are as follows:

• Must be between the ages of 21 to 39
• Must be a United States citizen living in the USA
• Cannot be on public assistance or parenting a child on any form of public assistance
• You must be a non-smoker who doesn’t take any illegal drugs
• Free of Sexually-transmitted-disease
• Reliable transportation for doctor’s visits
• No history of mental health illness or medications for mental health issues
• Non-alcohol dependant
• Must be parenting at least one child
• Have a birthing history with at least one healthy pregnancy free of complications 
• Cannot have suffered postpartum in previous births
• Undergo a background check and screening
• Stable support system and lifestyle

Though the requirements may seem strict, we follow the standard fertility clinic and American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidelines to ensure the healthiest and safest experience for all people involved.

Find a Surrogacy Agency

Becoming a surrogate is not easy. You will undoubtedly experience many joys as well as the discomfort that comes with bringing a life into this world. We won’t pretend that giving birth is easy. As you may already know, it comes with hard work. But you know more than anyone that the rewards of pregnancy far outweigh the risks when the outcome is growing a family. You get it. You are standing in the doorway and holding it open to bring joy to individuals and couples who cannot experience growing their biological family in any other way. 

Thank you for being you and the willingness to consider such an impactful journey. Here at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma, we want to help you through this journey and make it as seamless as possible. You can contact us 24/7, and we will provide you with the support you need to make family possible for someone else today. 

Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma is a surrogacy and adoption agency, licensed by the state of Oklahoma and a leader in the community. We assist both intended parents and gestational carriers (surrogates). Our staff members are committed to providing an ethical, empowering, and personalized experience to all involved in the surrogacy process.
Toll-free: 800-898-6028 | OKC Local: 405-755-1999 | Tulsa Local: 918-447-7777 | Text: 405-310-8790 | Email

Meet the Author: JaQueen loves learning because it helps her educate and give people choices. She is the youngest girl in a family of 8 adopted siblings who found a loving forever home. Like most marketers, she wears many hats: Certified Project Management Professional, Jr. Web Developer, SEO certified, Grant Proposal Writer, Consultant, Wellness Influencer, Content Creator, and Motivational Speaker with a Bachelor’s in Communication Arts. She created a wellness blog to motivate, write, and inspire in her spare time to teach about mental health, plant-based vegan nutrition, and fitness to help others find peace on their healing journey. Her hobbies include natural bodybuilding, mindfulness, trailblazing through nature, and creating content that resonates with people. She aspires to be a lifelong professional writer and speaker who saves lives through the power of knowledge. She states, “I think that when you find your way out of the darkness it becomes your responsibility to bring others to the light. So, I focus on healing. The rest will align.”