{"id":30348,"date":"2026-01-14T03:29:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T03:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/?p=30348"},"modified":"2026-01-15T17:52:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T17:52:00","slug":"surrogacy-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/education\/surrogacy-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Surrogacy\u00a0101"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:15px\">Updated by the Progyny Editorial Team \u2014&nbsp;January&nbsp;2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surrogacy is one way to grow your family. You may consider surrogacy if you have experienced infertility, have a medical reason you cannot carry a pregnancy, are part of the LGBTQ+ community, or you are planning to have a child as a single parent.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is surrogacy?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surrogacy is a process where another person, called the gestational carrier, carries a pregnancy for you. The child is usually not genetically related to the carrier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You will undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) to create embryos using your own egg and sperm, or with the help of donor egg, donor sperm, or both. A fertility specialist will then transfer the embryo to the gestational carrier, who will&nbsp;carry&nbsp;the pregnancy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the costs?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surrogacy involves several fees. These may include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Agency services, matching, and screening&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Psychological evaluations&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Legal services&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Medical costs for you and the carrier, including IVF&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Compensation for the gestational carrier&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Insurance or surrogacy support services&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The average total cost of surrogacy in the United States is $100,000 to&nbsp;$150,000.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;important to note that costs vary widely based on individual circumstances, location, and the specific services needed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is involved?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surrogacy includes a team of people who support&nbsp;different parts&nbsp;of the process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Intended parent(s):<\/strong>&nbsp;You will parent and raise the child. You may be genetically related to the embryo.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Egg or sperm donor:<\/strong>&nbsp;You may use donor egg, donor sperm, or both. Donors can be known or anonymous.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reproductive endocrinologist:<\/strong>&nbsp;This fertility specialist creates the embryos and performs the embryo transfer.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Attorneys:<\/strong>&nbsp;Each party has legal representation. Attorneys write the surrogacy contract and may manage escrow funds.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Surrogacy agency:&nbsp;<\/strong>An agency may support most of the process, including matching, screening, legal referrals, and emotional support.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social workers or psychologists:<\/strong>&nbsp;They complete evaluations for the gestational carrier and the intended parent(s) and may offer ongoing support.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gestational carrier:&nbsp;<\/strong>After screening and signing a contract, the gestational carrier receives a frozen embryo transfer. If pregnant, they receive routine prenatal care and stay in contact based on the agreement.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surrogacy includes many steps and decisions, and having the right support can help you navigate the process with confidence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have questions, Progyny is here for you. Please contact your PCA for support.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Next article ><\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/progyny.com\/education\/understanding-the-surrogacy-process\/\">Understanding the surrogacy process<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated by the Progyny Editorial Team \u2014&nbsp;January&nbsp;2026.&nbsp; Surrogacy is one way to grow your family. You may consider surrogacy if [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":30343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230,283],"tags":[228,369,232],"class_list":["post-30348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-surrogacy-adoption","tag-article","tag-surrogacy","tag-surrogacy-and-adoption"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Surrogacy\u00a0101 | Progyny<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Surrogacy is a process where another person, called the gestational carrier, carries a pregnancy for you.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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