Surrogacy agencies assist intended parents and surrogate mothers involved in commercial surrogacy.
Learn the pros and cons for surrogacy consultants and agencies, and see if using a surrogate agency is the best option for you.
There are advantages and disadvantages to working with a surrogate agency.
A lot of the choice for working with a surrogacy agency is simply the comfort level both potential surrogates and intended parents have with commercial surrogacy to begin with. Both pros and cons for surrogacy related agencies exist.
Pros for Working with a Surrogacy Agency
Matching
The biggest benefit to having a surrogate agency assist in a commercial surrogacy arrangement is facilitating the matching process. It can be difficult and time consuming to find the right match. An agency typically works with a group of first-time as well as experienced surrogate mothers and can match intended parents with a surrogate quickly.
It might still take some time for the correct match to be found, but an agency can cut down the time considerably.
Experience
Surrogate agencies have all the experience necessary to assist first time surrogates and intended parents who simply are unsure of what they are getting into.
They can coordinate all of the testing requirements, the paperwork, and walk all parties through the process with confidence.
This can be very important and reassuring. Any questions the surrogate mother or intended parents have can be answered from someone experienced in commercial surrogacy.
Surrogacy Compensation
An agency can help to negotiate contract issues such as the surrogate mother’s compensation. They can act as the go-between and relay information between the surrogate mother and intended parents so that they do not have to discuss this sensitive issue directly with one another. They can also offer an unbiased opinion on whether the terms one party wants are reasonable.
Appointments
An agency can make all appointments and arrangements for travel and various procedures for both the intended parents and the surrogate mother.
This can be a huge time saver.
Since an agency is familiar with the various needs that the surrogate or intended parents will have, they can make the arrangements quicker and easier than the parties involved.
Escrow
Another very important aspect of many surrogacy agencies is their ability to act as escrow agent for the surrogacy journey.
This means that they will collect all of the funds that will be paid to the surrogate for her fees or reimbursements from the intended parents and will release the funds to the surrogate mother according to the terms of the contract.
The surrogate does not contact the intended parents when she needs funds reimbursed; she contacts the agency, who then sends her a check. This arrangement protects everyone.
Cons for Working with a Surrogacy Agency
Costs
Intended parents pay a hefty sum of money to use a surrogate agency. These fees vary dramatically, but can range anywhere from $3,000 for an agency that only matches, to over $20,000 for an agency that is full service.
These costs can even sometimes exceed the surrogate’s compensation amount. Not every intended parent is able to pay these fees. For some, using an agency would make surrogacy financially impossible.
Set In Stone
Many surrogacy agencies have policies, such as fee schedules, set in stone.
If the fees are on the low side, this may seem like a good thing for the intended parents, but keep in mind that many experienced surrogates might not want to work with an agency where the fees are not negotiable.
If the agencys fees are on the higher side, or simply more than the intended parents can pay, then they lose out on the chance to negotiate these fees with a surrogate mother who may be more than willing to accept a much smaller compensation, happy with the fact that she is helping another family.
No Traditional Surrogacy
Many surrogacy agencies only match gestational surrogate mothers with intended parents.
Many, though not all agencies, simply do not deal with traditional surrogacy at all.
Best Interests
There are some commercial surrogacy agencies out there that are biased to one side of the equation. What I mean is that some agencies will look out more for one party. An agency director that was once a gestational surrogate mother may favor surrogates, but most likely, an agency that is biased will follow the money and will favor intended parents.
When an agency does not have a surrogate mothers best interests at heart, a surrogate may feel that she is being taken advantage of. She may feel it is her intended parents who are doing this, and it may make for a sticky situation that would not have otherwise been a problem.
