Intended parents can never ask ‘too many’ questions in a surrogacy journey. We want our intended parents to ask as many questions as needed to feel confident in every decision. Listed below are some of the more common questions for intended parents. If your question is not listed, please visit our inquiry page and send us your most important surrogacy questions.
Capital Surrogacy is a one-of-a-kind agency in Washington DC that provides personalized and compassionate case management to a diverse group of intended parents. In particular, the following distinguishes our agency work:
We understand that the primary reason to have an independent journey is to reduce costs. We at Capital Surrogacy comprehend the financial challenges of a surrogacy journey. For this reason, our agency fees are among the lowest in the industry. In most circumstances, the benefits of working with an agency far outweigh the financial costs.
A surrogate will help intended parents attain one of the most important goals in life – completing their families. With the help of professionals in the medical, psychological and insurance fields, we prescreen our surrogates before the match. In this way, intended parents save themselves the financial and emotional toll that often comes with locating potential surrogates on their own, typically online or through third party channels.
In addition, surrogacy journeys, even in the best of circumstances, are often emotional, with some ups and downs. A surrogacy agency case manager can guide and streamline the journey to minimize any obstacles or uncertainties. We can also refer intended parents and surrogates to experienced third party professionals that prevent as well as resolve any issues in the journey. We will also screen our surrogates as carefully as we screen our intended parents to ensure safety and security.
Surrogacy journeys typically cost from $140,000 to $150,000+. Medical expenses are variable and include IVF clinic fees, pregnancy medical expenses for the surrogate, and sometimes egg donation costs. To view an up-to-date listing of surrogacy expenses, please see the Capital Surrogacy cost sheet.
We work with intended parents of all races, religions, sexual orientations, backgrounds, genders, and relationship statuses – both nationally and internationally. The owner is also fluent in Spanish and facilitates surrogacy journeys for Spanish speaking clients in Washington DC, one of the most multicultural cities in the United States.
Absolutely, we are familiar with the legal and medical requirements of international surrogacy cases. We will provide concierge services for our international clients including handling logistical needs. If requested, we can also attend embryo transfers and deliveries to facilitate and support the process.
Surrogates are typically altruistic women who understand the value of family and the priceless gift of growing another family. To qualify as a surrogate, one must also be healthy – both in terms of physical and mental health – plus have a strong support network. Many surrogates also enjoy forming a strong bond with others while working towards a mutual goal. Of course, many also enjoy being pregnant.
Whether you are working with a potential surrogate that is a family member or friend, or else developed a new relationship with the goal of working together in a surrogacy journey, we can solely case manage the journey at a significantly reduced cost. Regardless of the type of relationship with a potential surrogate, surrogacy journeys can be complex and emotional. Having a surrogacy agency guide the journey can help maintain a positive experience for all and help achieve a successful outcome.
At Capital Surrogacy, we work diligently to have pre-screened surrogates available before accepting new intended parent applications. In other words, we strive to have qualified surrogates ready to match and start a new journey. Of course, if intended parents have special requirements for their surrogates, we will search diligently for a potential surrogate that meets those specific qualifications.
Surrogates at Capital Surrogacy go through an intensive pre-screening process even before the match:
Once the surrogate is matched, an in-depth medical screening by the intended parents’ IVF clinic and a joint psychological assessment (with intended parent(s) and surrogate’s partner, if applicable) are completed before initiating the surrogacy agreement.
When getting to know the intended parents and potential surrogates, we ask both parties to complete in-depth questionnaires that will be used for matching. The questions target key areas of compatibility in surrogacy journeys such as willingness to do genetic testing on the fetus and selective reduction. We will match intended parents and surrogates based on these key factors.
Also, we will facilitate the match meeting with all parties present to establish how well all parties interact. The intended parents and surrogates have 48 hours from the match meeting to decide if it is a positive match. After the match, an experienced psychologist will perform a joint assessment that also measures compatibility as part of the formal screening process.
Typically, it will take approximately 3 months to begin a transfer cycle after the match. The surrogate and intended parents must complete the medical and psychological screening as well as sign the surrogacy agreement before cycling. At Capital Surrogacy, we will initiate referrals to third party vendors and manage logistics rapidly to accelerate the process as much as possible.
A portion of intended parents come to Capital Surrogacy with their IVF clinic, donor, and/or surrogacy attorney already selected. If any of the resources are needed, we have a network of experienced professionals nationwide. From this network, we can refer intended parents to skilled professionals that can meet or exceed their needs in the surrogacy journey.
Capital Surrogacy’s legal partner is Nicole White of the Kinsey Law Group who can seamlessly represent the intended parents. Nicole is a mother through surrogacy and truly comprehends the legal complexities of a surrogacy journey both intimately and professionally.
The surrogacy agreement is one of the most central pieces of a surrogacy journey. This legally binding document describes the roles and responsibilities of both the surrogate and intended parents. It also delineates the protections in place for all parties and the types and timing of compensation for the surrogate. The surrogacy agency often revisits the agreement throughout the journey to make sure all elements are upheld.
All surrogacy agencies differ in the level of support staff provide to intended parents and surrogates. For this reason, it is vital to truly understand the processes that each agency uses. At Capital Surrogacy, we vow to provide personalized case management by staff who have completed journeys themselves. We guarantee 24/7 assistance in case of emergencies, attendance at local embryo transfers/deliveries upon request, and case management for six months post-delivery, among other types of support.
In preparation for delivery, we will create a birth plan in collaboration with the surrogate and intended parent(s) that details the preferences for the hospital delivery. The birth plan will be shared with the delivery hospital. In addition, we will have pre-delivery calls with all parties to make sure that all necessary preparation has been completed prior to delivery. If the delivery is local, we will visit the hospital, if requested. We will then continue managing the case until the birth certificates and travel documentation for international clients are complete, typically by 6 months post-delivery.
First and foremost, a great surrogate knows the importance of family and is fully invested in sharing that gift with intended parents. The surrogate should also understand the process and the roles/responsibilities as defined in the surrogacy agreement. We will explain in detail the process and requirements to all surrogates and support them in fulfilling the requirements.
Additionally, it is reasonable if a surrogate factors in the financial compensation in her decision to initiate a journey. The surrogate typically uses the compensation to help her own family with such important pieces as starting a college fund for her children or furthering her own education. In a way, one family is essentially helping another family in critical ways which is a wholly worthwhile venture.
At Capital Surrogacy, we ask our surrogates to choose their own compensation amount but also provide a range to guide their compensation requests. The average base compensation is $50,000 at this time. Of course, certain characteristics such as prior surrogacy journeys, having surrogacy friendly health insurance, and sometimes state of residence increase a surrogate’s compensation generally.
We believe this is a topic that should be discussed with the intended parent’s reproductive endocrinologist. Since all multiple pregnancies are by definition high risk pregnancies, many reproductive endocrinologists will be hesitant to recommend a dual embryo transfer. Additionally, not all surrogates are willing to carry twins or the IVF clinic may not medically clear a specific surrogate for a dual embryo transfer. Although a personal decision for intended parents, we feel that the ultimate goal is a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Alternate health insurance, typically Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance plans, can be readily purchased for the surrogate if her private insurance does not cover surrogacy. Typically, her compensation will be reduced by approximately $5,000 to offset the cost of the ACA insurance plan premiums to the intended parents.
We refer our intended parents to IVF clinics with the highest success rates and there is a strong possibility that the surrogates will become pregnant. However, if an intended parent’s IVF clinic disqualifies a surrogate for medical reasons, even after the clinic’s prior medical clearance, we will find another surrogate at no additional cost to the intended parents. This is something that few surrogacy agencies typically provide. At Capital Surrogacy, we believe that the surrogacy journey is already emotional without having to worry about unexpected expenses to ultimately realize your goal of a baby.
