Why do an Independent Surrogacy Journey?
Here are some of the top reasons to consider forgoing an agency and doing your surrogacy journey without a third-party agency acting as an intermediator.
1) Prior experience with surrogacy.
Many experienced surrogates and IPs prefer not to work with agencies since step-by-step handholding becomes unnecessary once you’ve been through the process. If you’re new to surrogacy, you can still do an independent journey with guidance from a qualified alternative reproduction attorney and Reproductive Endocrinologist. Many first-time IPs and surrogates choose to do independent journeys.
2) Significant cost savings.
IPs are able to save a lot of money when doing their journey without utilizing a surrogacy agency, generally to the tune of $15,000-$30,000, though some agencies have been known to charge $40,000 or more!
3) Match faster and start your journey sooner.
Because of the more limited pool of surrogates and IPs, many agencies experience wait times of 12-18 months or longer.
4) Find the perfect match.
Match based on the specific criteria that is important to you, don’t compromise based on what happens to be available with a particular agency.
5) Communicate directly throughout the process.
Agencies usually require all communication to flow through them creating a barrier between IPs and Surrogates. Sometimes this is helpful, however, many IPs and surrogates don’t feel like they are able to be in sync throughout their journey with a person in the middle controlling communications. Without an agency, IPs and surrogates are free to email/text whenever they would like to discuss anything at all related to their current journey.
6) Negotiate compensation directly.
Both sides are better able to discuss and agree on compensation when an agency is not involved. Some agency requirements with respect to compensation and fees may not be in the best interest of a particular surrogate or IP.
If you’d like to find a match for your independent journey without a surrogacy agency, start here!
