Everything You Need To Know About Becoming a Surrogate in Pasadena, California
Where To Begin
If you’re unsure where to begin your surrogacy journey in Pasadena, you’re in the right place. Getting more information, like what you’ll read in this article, is a great place to start.
If you’re interested in becoming a surrogate mother, read here.
If you’re interested in becoming a parent via surrogacy, read here.
Becoming a Surrogate in Pasadena
There are many parts to the surrogacy journey. They include:
- Taking hormone injections at home
- Undergoing surgery to transfer an embryo into her uterus
- Being pregnant for nine months and enduring both the physical and emotional changes that come with that
- Delivering a child
- Attending regular check-ups
- Staying in communication with intended parent partners
In addition to helping a family grow, surrogates are compensated for their contribution. Medical care, lawyer fees, maternity clothes, prenatal vitamins, pumps, and other maternity expenses are paid for, and surrogates receive regularly-scheduled out paychecks from the intended parents.
More often than not, surrogates and intended parents become lifelong friends. The surrogacy journey is very fun!
Requirements
Surrogates need to be between 20 and 39 years of age and have a healthy Body Mass Index. Other requirements include:
- She must have already had a successful pregnancy and delivery.
- She must be raising at least one of her own children in her own home.
- She must not receive government assistance.
- She must reside in the United States of America legally.
- She must not currently be taking any drugs, including antidepressants.
Screen & Match
To start your surrogate onboarding process, reach out to us here.
After you reach out, we’ll plan a meeting. You will be able to come to our office, connect up with a case manager, and get a feel for our agency. After that meeting, both you and our agency will be able to decide if we are a right fit for each other.
If we proceed, we will set up a more formal interview to answer all of your questions and get more information. You will fill out a formal application, with questions about topics such as:
- Personal and contact information
- Lifestyle choices
- Medical history
- Current and past health conditions
- Emotional wellness
- Support system
- Living situation
A background check will also be required.
After this, you will discuss any specific preferences you have with your case manager. This information will be used to match you with intended parents. Preferences can include if you’re willing to travel, how often you’re willing to be in contact with your intended parent partners, and any specific requests you’d like to establish before the journey legally begins.
10-Step Journey
The surrogacy journey with Los Angeles Surrogacy has ten main steps. They are:
- Connect
Reach out to us here or call us at 800-204-7129. You can also visit our office in Los Angeles from 10AM-5PM PST, but please reach out for an appointment first.
- Complete Profile
Surrogates will fill out a long application form in detail, and this information will be used to create a profile with our agency. This information is mostly about lifestyle choices, medical history, and current living situation.
- Match with Parents
Once the surrogate profile is complete, we will begin matching services with intended parents.
- Examinations
Emotional wellness and physical health examinations are conducted before the surrogacy journey officially begins to ensure each surrogate is capable of becoming pregnant safely.
- Sign
Both parties will meet with lawyers and sign a contract. They will be fully educated on what they are signing beforehand.
- Pregnancy Journey Begins
The surrogate will take hormone injections, then the embryo transfer will take place. Then, the pregnancy begins!
- 9 Months of Support
As the baby grows, Los Angeles Surrogacy is here every step of the way.
- Sign Pre-Birth Order
The pre-birth order legally states that the surrogate is not the parent of the child and has no parental rights.
- Baby Arrives!
The baby is born.
- The Journey Ends
Final paperwork is signed, final payments are issued, and the intended parents leave with their child.
Timeline
Your application process should be completed in 1-2 visits. There are emotional and physical wellness checks that will be done during this process as well, outside of our office.
The matching process may be as quick as a few days or as long as months. This depends on how many intended parents partner with Los Angeles Surrogacy and what they are looking for.
Once matched and the contractual agreement is signed, the surrogate can begin hormone injections. This portion of the journey takes between 2 to 3 weeks. Then there is the embryo transfer procedure.
After that procedure, the surrogate will wait two weeks to take a pregnancy test. If she is pregnant, the journey continues and the baby grows inside her womb for nine months. If she is not pregnant, she (and intended parents) have the option to try again.
The journey ends when the child is delivered after nine months of pregnancy.
Compensation
In simple terms, surrogates can make anywhere from $30,000-$80,000 for their approximately year-long commitment.
To be more specific, base compensation starts at $30,000 minimum for first-time surrogates. If the surrogate has experience, if she requires a C-section, or if she is carrying multiples (twins, triplets, etc.), she may have a higher base compensation.
As stated above, all medical, legal, and agency fees are covered for the surrogate, so she will have access to physical and emotional healthcare at no cost to her. Any maternity clothes or other items will be either paid for or reimbursed by the intended parents. Also, if the surrogate must cease working toward the end of the pregnancy and for recovery after the delivery, any lost wages will be reimbursed, as well.
Why Choose Los Angeles Surrogacy?
At Los Angeles Surrogacy, we pride ourselves on transparency. We see other surrogacy agency websites promising to pay surrogates up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, but when you read the fine print, it’s obvious that this includes medical, legal, and other fees, meaning this money is not paid upfront.
We are extremely transparent about what you will be paid upfront, what will be reimbursed, and what additional things will be paid for. These are separated clearly so you can plan your finances accordingly.
We are able to provide scheduling services for intended parents and surrogates. We coordinate with both to set up appointments and meet-ups. We can even organize rides to and from, if necessary.
We also educate all of our clients on every single aspect of the journey before the legal paperwork signing. Each party will fully understand their responsibilities and benefits before committing to anything.
Los Angeles Surrogacy is experienced in serving international intended parents, and we can funnel all communication if translation is needed.
All surrogacy journeys, when partnered with our agency, are safe, fun, and easy. All questions are answered, all payments are on time, and there is never an obstacle that we can’t overcome.
For prospective surrogates, click here.
For intended parents, click here.