Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In its simplest, surrogacy simply means carrying a baby for someone else. There are however two major types of surrogacy, gestational and traditional surrogacy.

Gestational surrogacy is the process where one person, whose egg is not used in conception, carries a fetus through pregnancy for another person or couple. The person who carries the pregnancy is called a “surrogate” or “gestational carrier.”

In traditional surrogacy, the carrier’s own eggs are used. Thus, the carrier is both the “egg donor” as well as the surrogate. As such, the surrogate is the biological mother to the child that she carries.

At Surrogate Steps, we only practice gestational surrogacy, where the carrier is not the biological mother to the child that she carries.

The intended parents are responsible for all costs related to the surrogacy journey, including medical bills for the fertility treatment, pregnancy, and delivery.

If the surrogate has health insurance, it will be reviewed to determine if it will cover medical bills associated with the surrogacy journey. If it does, the intended parents would pay for any deductible or co-pays the insurance requires.

If the surrogate does not have health insurance or if the health insurance does not cover medical bills relating to surrogacy, the intended parents will be responsible for all costs associated with obtaining and paying for a health insurance plan to cover your surrogacy-related medical bills.

Surrogates typically make between $45,000-$70,000 after accounting for their main pregnancy distribution as well as bonuses for things like previous surrogacies, embryo transfers, and more. 

Yes, intended parents who are HIV+ are able to grow their families through surrogacy at Surrogate Steps. 

Using sperm washing techniques and HIV testing, it is possible for HIV+ men to safely and effectively father a biological child of their own.

Absolutely, we believe everyone, including singles, deserves a chance to be a parent and often makes some of the best parents around!

Absolutely.  Generally, we present you with surrogates one at a time. If you don’t like them, we will show you another profile. If you like them, we will schedule a time for a match meeting for you to meet your surrogate. Both you and the surrogate will have an independent, but final say as to whether you would like to work together.

No, there is no one definition of what a parent looks like. We allow people of all different backgrounds and demographics to become parents through surrogacy.

No. There are many reasons people pursue surrogacy. We work with anyone who determines for themselves that surrogacy would be the best route for them to grow their family.

Absolutely! Surrogate Steps consultants are proud to work with same-sex couple and others in the LGBTQ+ community.

We aim to match you with a compassionate and caring surrogate who will understand your personalized individual needs and develop a trusting relationship with you.

Surrogate Steps consultants are aware of the particular attention to legal detail that is required when matching same-sex couples with a Surrogate. Surrogate Steps consultants work together with legal teams nationally and internationally to ensure that our Surrogate Mothers reside in States that are friendly to same-sex couples. This includes working with States that will allow both names of same-sex Intended Parents to be placed on their child’s birth certificate.

Surrogates are screened based on a number of social, behavioral, socioeconomic, health, medical, and pregnancy-related factors in a multi-stage interview-like process. In addition, to form-based and phone/video-based interviews, surrogates have their medical records combed through by a trained nurse/medical professional, must obtain clearance from the OB for pregnancy/surrogacy, pass a medical exam by your fertility clinic, and undergo a background check as well as an in-person home study by a private investigator, a social worker, or a Surrogate Steps professional. Over 100 small details that could interfere with the physical aspect of pregnancy or the relationship between the surrogate and the intended parent or agency will automatically disqualify someone from becoming a surrogate.

The cost of surrogacy varies tremendously from journey to journey but is always a significant investment. You can expect your journey to cost around $75,000 for surrogacy-specific expenses, including surrogate compensation/expenses/reimbursements, agency fees, legal fees, and other necessary surrogacy-specific expenses, and between $80,000 and $120,000, including the cost of fertility treatment.

Once we have fully screened and accepted a surrogate into our program, our matching team determines potential matching options based on a variety of factors. Some of the factors we look at include the state in which the surrogate and intended parents reside, whether the surrogate has insurance, along with various matching preferences defined by both intended parents and carriers.

Once a potential match is found, redacted profiles (profiles with no identifying information) of the intended parents and surrogates will be exchanged. Should both parties express an interest in working together, we organize a video call for parties to meet.

After the match meeting and the parties give the final approval, the surrogate goes through an intensive medical screening by the fertility clinic, a background check, and an in-person home study by private investigator, a social worker, or by a Surrogate Steps professional. Once the surrogate passes these checks, we will start preparing for the embryo transfer.

In the rare occurrence that the surrogate does not pass the fertility clinic medical screening (this is quite rare as we have already performed an intensive medical records screening and obtained clearance from the surrogate’s OB) or home study, we will present a new match free of charge.

Yes, Surrogate Steps is a Licensed Surrogacy Agency, which is an important and distinguishing factor. The surrogacy industry is highly unregulated. Agencies are not required to be licensed and thus lack checks and balances to ensure that surrogates and the intended parents are fully informed and that their rights are fully protected. 

Attorney director Yifat is admitted to practice law in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and is also affiliated with the following organizations:

• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Assisted Reproductive & Genetic Technology Committee (ABA)
• Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY)
• Reproductive Health Law Committee (WBASNY)
• Finger Lakes Women’s Bar Association (FLWBA)
• LGBTQ+ Committee (FLWBA)

Surrogates must:

• Be between the age of 23-41
• Be in good health and receive medical clearance from their OB and your fertility clinic for pregnancy. 
• Demonstrate a high level of maturity, responsibility, and responsiveness
• Have at least one previous successful pregnancy free of pregnancy or birth complications
• Be a non-active smoker or and have no history of alcohol or substance abuse
• Not be on section 8 housing
• Have a strong support system
• Reside in the United States (but not allowed to reside in Louisiana, Nebraska, or Michigan).

It would be impossible to define what a “normal” or “typical” surrogate looks like. Surrogates can be single, in a committed relationship, or married. They can speak English, Spanish, or a number of other languages. They can live almost anywhere in the United States and be of any ethnic or religious background. They can have varying levels of education and so much more.

But, one thing unites all carriers at Surrogate Steps. Each and every one of our surrogates is extraordinarily compassionate and giving. Without question, this is the one trait we look for when finding carriers to join our program.

Other than that, all surrogates must:

• Be between the age of 23-41
• Be in good health and receive medical clearance from their OB and your fertility clinic for pregnancy. 
• Be mature, responsible, and responsive.
• Have at least one previous successful pregnancy free of pregnancy or birth complications
• Be a non-active smoker and have no history of alcohol or substance abuse.
• Not be on section 8 housing
• Have a strong support system
• Reside in the United States (but not allowed to reside in the states of Louisiana, Nebraska, or Michigan).

The process to ensure you get to keep your baby starts with our team coordinating and matching you with a surrogate in a state where the necessary legal work to finalize your parental rights can be accomplished. 

You will also need to have wills in place prior to the embryo transfer that ensures a guardian is in place to care for your children in the event of your death. 

Once you are matched, we will draft the gestational carrier agreement for you, which will then be negotiated between you and your independent attorney and the surrogate and their independent attorney. 

Once the surrogate commences the second trimester of pregnancy, you will work with your attorney to commence and ensure your paternity rights. This will ensure that you are recognized as legal parents of your child and that you are able to make all medical and legal decisions on behalf of your child commencing at birth. 

All surrogates will deliver at a hospital near their home. Most of our surrogates have existing relationships with an OBGYN and will deliver at the same hospital where they gave birth to their own children or previous surrogacies. 

Intended parents, understandably so, often wish to be in the labor and delivery room for the birth. This may be possible but depends on hospital policy as well as the surrogate’s comfort. 

Following the birth of your child, the baby will join you in a room assigned to you or remain in the nursery.  Most hospital policies require that your child remains in the hospital until the surrogate has been discharged.

We work with all fertility clinics in the United States. Most of the time, intended parents choose to continue their surrogacy journey with a fertility clinic they have already worked with. That said, we have connections with many of the top fertility clinics and are happy to provide referrals for a recommended clinic.

Surrogacy laws are complex and vary greatly by state and county. It’s important to work with an attorney to ensure that you get to keep your child and that your journey runs as smoothly as possible.

Many people assume others become gestational surrogates for money, but this is almost never the case. Sure, money may be the thing that initially sparks someone’s interest in becoming a surrogate and be a factor in why someone ultimately becomes a surrogate, but it is never the primary reason someone becomes a carrier. That’s because those who are in it for “quick and easy” money quickly realize that being a surrogate is by no means easy money and drop out from the surrogacy process.

In almost all cases, those who ultimately become gestational carriers do so because they are incredibly compassionate people and have an overwhelming drive to help those in need. For example, many surrogates share that being pregnant is very easy for them, and they love being pregnant, but that they do not want more children, and would love to use their gift of fertility to help others in need. Other surrogates share that they have personally known someone who struggled with fertility, and realized that surrogacy is the only way for some people to have children, and they want to help others have children, and to give the gift of life.

Yes, everything will be worked out with the hospital and other required entities prior to the birth of your child so that you will be able to take your baby home directly from the hospital.

Growing your family through surrogacy is an exciting but often overwhelming experience. Often those pursuing surrogacy have already been through so much heartache in trying to grow their family. Surrogacy can present financial, emotional, and logistical challenges. With so much on the line, it’s important to work with a team as experienced, compassionate, and hands-on as Surrogate Steps.

Top fertility clinics refer intended parents to Surrogate Steps for a number of reasons. 

• We are a Licensed Surrogacy Agency: surrogacy agencies are highly unregulated and are not required to be licensed. That means most lack the checks and balances to ensure that surrogates and intended parents are fully informed and that their rights are protected. Surrogate Steps is a fully licensed agency which means we go through additional scrutiny and run our practice to a level above and beyond the standard. 
• Attorney Directed: Surrogate Steps is directed by one of the leading legal experts in reproductive and surrogacy law, Yifat Shaltiel. As an attorney-directed agency, our ethical standards are set high so you know you’ll always be treated fairly and honestly.
• Experience: We’ve been in business since 2013, have helped hundreds of individuals and couples grow their families through surrogacy, and collectively have over 60 years of combined surrogacy experience. 
• We have top-quality surrogates: our surrogates are screened using the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s surrogacy standards by trained medical professionals before they are ever sent to your clinics for approval. 
• Compassionate and highly experienced surrogate and parent coordinators: each and every one of our staff members is a repeat surrogate, meaning they’ve successfully completed multiple surrogacy journeys. That means you’ll have a compassionate, empathetic, and highly experienced guide you can lean on every step of the way.
• Fair Pricing: We are upfront and honest about our pricing, so you always know what you’re getting into. Our agency fee is $25,000, and our surrogacy compensation starts at $40,000. After all additional bonuses and pregnancy-related expenses are paid, you can expect to pay anywhere from $80,000-120,000. That’s quite a wide range, so we encourage you to explore the cost of surrogacy here and ask us any questions you may have.

Understandably, intended parents often wish to be in the labor and delivery room for the birth. This may be possible but depends on hospital policy as well as the surrogate’s comfort.

Following the birth of your child, the baby will join you in a room assigned to you or remain in the nursery. The parent is the first person to hold the child, other than medical professionals. Most hospital policies require that your child remains in the hospital until the surrogate has been discharged.

Yes, even though we are an attorney-directed agency, it is important to obtain independent counsel for some aspects of your journey. This is important for ethical reasons and to ensure both our surrogates and intended parents are treated fairly, ethically, and legally.

Still, we will always have your back. Prior to providing you with a surrogate profile, we will conduct a legal evaluation to ensure that the surrogate resides in a state with favorable laws that accommodate your family’s needs.

When it is time to work on your gestational carrier agreement, the legal contract between you and your surrogate, our director will draft your gestational carrier agreement and assist you with obtaining an attorney to represent you and a separate independent attorney to represent the surrogate in the review of the gestational carrier agreement.

We have a strong working relationship with all attorneys we recommend and are confident in their understanding of surrogacy law.
You are, of course, free to find an attorney yourself, but our expert team will require the attorney to be independent, be experienced in surrogacy law, and have no conflict of interest.

Absolutely, you will be in direct contact with your surrogate throughout the journey and encouraged to establish a strong connection with your surrogate. Establishing a bond with your surrogate is one of the most important and special aspects of you becoming a parent through surrogacy. Many intended parents are in daily contact with their surrogates, whereas others find the time to connect about once a week.

Yes, both you and the surrogate will be required to sign a gestational carrier agreement.

A gestational carrier agreement is a contract between the intended parents and a gestational carrier (and her partner/spouse).  The contract details each party’s rights, obligations, intentions, and expectations in connection with their arrangement.

The contract addresses topics including the location of delivery, future contact between the parties, parental rights, custody issues, control over medical decisions during the pregnancy, intended parents’ presence during delivery, payment of medical bills, liability for medical complications, health and life insurance, and more. Financial considerations, including the carrier’s compensation and reimbursements, including lost wages, child care, legal fees, maternity clothes, and more, are also addressed in the gestational carrier agreement.

The gestational carrier agreement is drafted by Yifat Shaltiel, Esq. of Surrogate Steps, but the intended parents and the gestational carrier must be independently represented by an attorney specializing in surrogacy law throughout the negotiation process of this contract. This ensures that all parties have a complete understanding of their rights and responsibilities to the other parties. 

Both attorneys are compensated by the intended parents.

The process begins with a simple consultation with our founder and director, Yifat Shaltiel. You can schedule your free consultation here. If you decide you’d like to work with us after that, you’ll sign a retainer agreement, and we’ll get to work finding the perfect surrogate for you.

Generally, it takes approximately 15-18 months from the time that you apply with our agency to the time you hold your baby in your arms. 

Gestational carriers are not the biological mother of the embryo/fetus/child they carry. Traditional surrogates are the biological mother of the embryo/fetus/child they carry. 

At Surrogate Steps, we only practice gestational surrogacy