Complete Parents Guide: How to Reduce Cost of Surrogacy with 12 actionable tips.
Undergoing infertility treatment is daunting enough. But, managing associated surrogacy costs is another distressing factor. Paying someone a huge sum of money to carry the baby along with associated medical, legal, and administrative fees can be intimidating and out of reach for many prospective intended parents. The most prevalent objection that intended parents while opting for the surrogacy process is high surrogacy costs. For almost all surrogacy seekers, knowing how to reduce the cost of surrogacy is a crucial question.
“How much does surrogacy cost? “ is the most common question among first-time surrogacy process seekers. To be honest, creating families via gestational surrogacy is expensive by all means.
Surrogacy costs in USA range from $110,000 to $150,000. No matter how hard you try to reduce the cost of surrogacy, it might be still high enough for many would-be intended parents. For them, the cross-border surrogacy process is the best alternative.
When intended parents need only infertility treatments to achieve parenthood, it can include cost-effective methods like IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) and IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization). The cost of IVF is relatively manageable, but no less by any means. In the USA, an average IVF cost can be $15,000 to $20,000.
However, sometimes, couples need assistance or the help of a third person/persons to pursue their parenthood journey. That is known as third-party reproduction. Mostly an Egg Donor or a Surrogate Mother or both are involved in it. Besides these, a legal advisor, a surrogacy agency, and the medical team play an integral role in family building.
An egg donor is a young lady who donates her eggs for monitory compensation; this is known as Egg Donor IVF.
The reason for seeking Egg Donor IVF can be as follows-
- Many couples need an egg donor due to age-related factors in a female partner or some medical condition like a low AMH value.
- Due to the absence of ovaries.
- Some genetic condition that parent does not want to pass on to
- For Gay men- IVF with an egg donor is the only meant to become parents.
- Egg donor-assisted IVF is standard nowadays. You can choose a known or anonymous egg donor for your infertility treatment.
For a few couples, a gestational carrier, known as a surrogate mother, is only hoping to become a parent.
The reason for seeking a Gestational carrier can be as follows-
- This can be due to the absence of a uterus in the female partner
- Age-related factors in the female partner
- Some form of a severe medical condition makes it too risky to carry the baby to term.
- For gay men, taking the help of a surrogate mother as a gestational carrier is the only option to become a parent.
Third-party reproduction services need to be considered carefully after thorough research. Once you know the surrogacy cost break up, it is easy to understand how to keep the surrogacy cost low without compromising the quality or output of the surrogacy process.
Below are a few factors to consider to manage surrogacy costs and depending upon the individual case, you can pick the best one or two for you.
1. The Health Insurance of the surrogate mother.
It goes without saying that Infertility treatment like IVF Cycle is a costly medical procedure. The medical cost of the IVF process is higher in western countries and sometimes not included in insurance coverage. That is why it is good to know what medical procedure and to what extent it is included in health insurance.
Does insurance cover surrogacy costs is a common question for many parents?
Although not all health insurance companies include surrogacy-related pregnancies in their coverage, but still many cover the surrogacy-associated services.
It is good to ask the surrogacy agency, which health insurance cover the cost of fertility treatment and antenatal care and delivery for the surrogate mother. As most surrogacy agencies work with surrogacy-friendly insurance companies, they can guide you and help you to choose the right plan.
Choose a surrogate mother who already has a health insurance cover that is applicable for a surrogacy process.
Sometimes surrogate mother already has medical protection for pregnancy and delivery of the baby. So, while choosing a gestational carrier, choose someone who has health insurance.
2. Save the cost of Medicine for the IVF cycle.
As we all know the cost of medication for the IVF Cycle, especially stimulation injections can be exorbitantly high, it is wise to look out for a pharmacy option where you can get the best discount on medication.
Some online pharmacy also provides fertility-related drugs at a much lower price. Some international online pharmacies have fertility medication prescriptions as little as 50%. It is good to order in advance in consultation with your doctors as it takes many days to arrive at the medicine.
3. Choose your IVF Clinic wisely.
The cost of IVF varies from clinic to clinic as per the location of the IVF Clinic. It is good to check with a couple of fertility clinics about the cost of the IVF cycle and what is all included in it.
You can always ask your surrogacy agency about the best IVF clinic in terms of success rate and affordable price. The bottom line is many options available for IVF clinics, and you need to judge which suits you better in terms of price and traveling.
4. Shared Risk IVF Cycle or Money back IVF.
A shared risk program or IVF Refund Program can be offered in many IVF Clinics.
All these programs work with the same basic principle that risks of fertility treatment are shared by both Intended Parents and the IVF Clinic.
The Intended parents are asked to pay upfront a more significant amount, and the IVF clinic agrees to give positive results in a certain number of IVF Cycles. If IVF Clinic is not able to provide the desired result after many IVF cycles, they refund most of the money.
So, it is in the best interest of the IVF Clinic to give the best possible result as soon as possible as the cost of each cycle is an additional cost to them. The Intended parent can be at peace as they know either they will get the pregnancy or their money back. So, it is a win-win situation for both IVF Clinics and Intended Parents.
5. IVF in developing countries.
IVF fee is alarmingly high in the US and most the other European countries. Opting for other countries where low-cost IVF options are available is the right decision. It is good to know that affordable IVF Treatment or a cheap IVF option is available in many countries without hampering the quality of services and success rate.
Do your research and see the pros and cons of choosing any location. Holidaying, along with undergoing medical treatment in some exotic locations, can be a good option. It will not only reduce the IVF cost to almost half but also give you a new perspective.
6. Eggs Sharing between two couples.
For those intended parents who need IVF with Egg Donor, this is an excellent option.
In this case, a suitable egg donor is selected, and her eggs are divided equally between 2 couples. The good thing is that the cost of Egg Sharing IVF is low and it can be affordable for two couples.
The down thing is that the number of embryos created can be small as only half the eggs are given to each couple. Nevertheless, it can be an excellent option to try. If all goes well, you might be successful with the first embryo transfer and can also freeze a few for future attempts!
7. Consider cross-border surrogacy/International Surrogacy to Reduce the Cost of Surrogacy
Surrogacy cost is higher in countries like USA and UK. So, the key is to look out for countries where surrogate mothers are available at low compensation.
It is good to look out to countries where commercial surrogacy is allowed with legal security and excellent medical facility. There are many third-world countries that were surrogacy hubs at one time, but most of them are closed or getting closed.
Surrogacy in India, Surrogacy in Thailand, surrogacy in Nepal, and Surrogacy in Cambodia were popular options at one time. But as of now, each respective country has banned it. The Indian government also restricted surrogacy as per the new surrogacy regulation act 2021.
Still, a few legally viable options in eastern European countries are available. Currently, surrogacy in Ukraine and surrogacy in Georgia is an affordable surrogacy countries with the lowest surrogacy cost.
For gay couples, a new surrogacy option in Latin America is coming with the promise of being extremely financially viable with legal security. To know more about surrogacy in Colombia, read here.
A new market in Southeast Asia, surrogacy in Laos is also coming up, but it is still unregulated. You need to choose your best option considering your marital status, citizenship, and financial situation.
It is advised to consult an independent reproductive attorney to understand the cross-border surrogacy option for a specific case.
8. Find a friend/relative as an egg donor to reduce the cost of Surrogacy.
A friend or relative who is ready to donate her eggs can be a good idea.
This will make the parenthood journey more comfortable as you are familiar with the person, and she comes with added care and passion for you, not just for money. It is wise to take care of a legal agreement with a reproductive attorney to avoid issues later.
9. Find a friend/family as a surrogate mother to reduce the cost of Surrogacy.
Time and time we hear about cases where a mother or sister has become a surrogate.
If you can find someone within the family, it can be very assuring emotionally and financially as well. Such a decision is filled with love and compassion, and surely, they are the ones cherished for a lifetime.
The surrogacy cost of a relative or friend as a surrogate mother is low. The major part of the surrogacy cost the surrogate mother compensation. In most states, surrogate compensation varies from 30,000 USD to 50,000 USD.
Another miscellaneous expense like loss of wages and travel costs etc. is on top of it. So, in case you can find a gestational carrier within the family, it can save a lot of money and also can give you peace of mind due to familiarity with the surrogate mother.
10. Surrogacy agency that gives value for your money.
When choosing a surrogacy agency, it is essential to know what all service is included and whatnot.
Take surrogacy cost breakdown with an explicit mention- what is IVF Fee, Egg Donor fee, Surrogate mother compensation, antenatal care fee, legal agreements fee, or any other administrative fee?
Do ask for an incidental fee like a baby delivery fee, what if a surrogate conceives twins, PGD (Pre-Implantation genetic diagnosis) fee.
Generally, for a successful pregnancy, it takes 1-3 attempts of embryo transfers. Ask your surrogate agency to give you three attempts of embryo transfer for a one-time agency fee.
Many agencies do it without charging an additional fee for second or third attempts of embryo transfers. Even if you are not successful in the first embryo transfer, you will be at peace to know that you can still try two more times.
11. If possible, opt for the Guaranteed surrogacy baby program.
In the Guaranteed surrogacy program, although the overall surrogacy cost is higher, it is the obligation of the Fertility specialist and surrogacy agency to do everything possible in their control to give you a successful outcome.
They will recruit a young egg donor with a good number of eggs or proven egg donors for you.
A surrogate mother with good health and immunity. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is also made in such cases to make sure only healthy embryos are used for transfer. PGD also rules out any genetic defect in embryos, which can boost implant chances and reduces miscarriage in early pregnancy.
Generally, for accepting such a program, the agency will define a few parameters for you. Nevertheless, it gives you great peace of mind to see someone is delicately working to achieve the dream of parenthood for you.
12. Skip the surrogacy agency services and opt for Indy surrogacy
Finding an independent surrogate mother instead of using a surrogacy agency can save up to $15,000 to $50,000 upfront unless you handle your surrogacy process carefully. It goes without saying that a surrogacy agency can help you in saving money in the long run.
Although a surrogacy agency offers tons of information and emotional support, it comes with a cost. If you think you can manage the full surrogacy program yourself, you should go for it. But a word of caution is to do diligent research and read as much as possible. Join the support groups/forums for parents and surrogate mothers to learn from other parents’ experiences.
You might need to do extra paperwork, and give more time to research and investigate, but you can save money by skipping the agency. Independent surrogacy is a process where parents do not take the help of a surrogacy agency and manage their full surrogacy journey themselves. Of course, by doing independent surrogacy, parents can Reduce the Cost of Surrogacy. Independent surrogacy cost varies from &75,000 to $110,000.
Conclusion
As every pregnancy and childbirth are different, so each surrogacy parenthood journey is different. For some, it does work for the first time, and for some, it takes a couple of attempts. What is essential is not to give up on the most cherished dream. Be positive, be patient, and be persistent.
The key is to plan well in advance and be prepared for any hidden expenses. Ask and understand surrogacy cost breakdown as per the stage of the surrogacy process. Some so-called “incidental cost” is part of all infertility treatments, and you need to be aware of it in advance.
Are you planning to become parents via the surrogacy process? We can help you in finding your best surrogacy destinations with the reduced cost of surrogacy.
Get in touch now to have a free surrogacy consultation and to understand the price for surrogacy to start your parenthood journey now!