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A surrogate, also known as a Gestational Carrier, is an amazing individual who selflessly carries a pregnancy to term for another individual or couple, helping them achieve the dream of family. Surrogacy is a form of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) where the surrogate, most often a healthy woman with her own children, undergoes a carefully monitored journey to carry and deliver a child. Unlike traditional surrogacy, where the surrogate is related to the child, at Hatch, we service gestational surrogacy, involving the implantation of the intended parent’s embryo. The pregnancy is achieved through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) allowing the surrogate to carry without sharing a genetic connection with the child.
Below are some of the reasons we hear most often for why people want to become a surrogate:
Ultimately, becoming a surrogate looks a little different for everyone, as each surrogate and family are unique. At Hatch, it is important for us that our surrogates approach the process from a place of compassion and altruism. We take pride in curating a positive experience for both surrogates and intended parents.
Sarah, 3x surrogate and Hatch team member.
We have carefully crafted our surrogacy requirements and qualifications of surrogacy to ensure that your journey is a healthy and safe experience. If you are contemplating becoming a surrogate, we urge you to take a moment to assess the following criteria. Below are the basic requirements for becoming a surrogate.
Surrogacy is a huge commitment and safety, and well being is our top priority. Many factors can take part in surrogacy disqualifications, and these criteria are set in place to ensure the best experience possible.
The gift of parenthood is priceless, and we firmly believe surrogates should be valued for their role in the family-building journey. At Hatch, our surrogacy compensation packages are competitive and designed to be all-encompassing of your needs. Below are benefits you can expect from working with our premier agency:
Compensation packages start at $61,100 for surrogates and $66,100 for California-based surrogates. Experienced surrogates can expect an additional $10,000 per successful surrogacy to their base pay.
First, you must apply to be a surrogate by filling out our program’s application. After receiving this form, a surrogacy specialist from the Hatch team will contact you through one of the communication methods you’ve provided for an educational call with you about our program.
Hatch is one of the only programs to medically pre-qualify surrogates so intended parents and surrogates are best set up for a smooth and successful journey. After your initial call, your match coordinator will send you a questionnaire that covers your medical history.
Your team will help you obtain copies of previous medical records from your OB offices, delivery hospitals, and IVF clinics (if applicable). Once your records come in, an IVF doctor will review these for medical pre-approval to ensure you’re a good medical candidate for surrogacy and able to proceed with this journey.
Once your application has been received, your coordinator will schedule your first video screening. This will be a face-to-face video conference with a focus on getting to know you and answering your questions to help you determine if the surrogacy program at Hatch is the right fit. This will also help us successfully match you with the perfect intended parents.
Next, your coordinator will explain the medical aspects of the surrogacy process and answer any questions you may have. During this call, we’ll discuss the IVF screening, cycle, and transfer, as well as other considerations that might be applicable to your journey.
If applicable, your coordinator will talk with your partner to ensure that they’re supportive of your surrogacy journey and answer any questions they may have. Surrogacy is a process that affects the entire family, and it’s important to make sure that your partner is on board and feels supported throughout your journey.
Once your medical records have been approved, you’ll receive a complete welcome package of paperwork that provides information about being a surrogate. This packet will also include pertinent details and forms that authorize routine background checks for you and your partner, and provide driver's license copies as well as pay stubs to calculate future lost wages when planning surrogate compensation.
After you’ve been approved by our medical director, our surrogacy team will submit a request to run routine background checks for you and your partner (if applicable).
Depending on your current method of birth control, we'll ask you to complete a mock cycle (IUD, depo shot, implant, BC pill, or any other hormonal birth control) or a simple ultrasound lining check (no BC, tubal ligation) to confirm that your uterine lining is adequate for surrogacy, and you don’t have any fibroids, cysts, or polyps that could disqualify or delay you from proceeding medically. This screening usually isn’t done until after matching with other programs which can be very disappointing for you and the intended parents if the news isn’t good, and you have formed a connection with a family but medically couldn’t be cleared to proceed. This helps you to match with confidence and provides assurance that your in-person medical screening will go great!
After your background check(s), you and your partner will meet with a mental health professional to discuss your readiness for the surrogacy journey. Your mental health professional will administer an MMPI-2 test to assess your personality and motivational fit, as well as screen for major psychological concerns. The interview and test results will be combined into a psychological report that will determine if you can proceed as a surrogate.
This call is designed to review all of your responsibilities and expectations in place as a surrogate. Not to scare you, but rather to reinforce the significance of your role and provide support in any way possible. Your coordinator is happy to address any questions or concerns you may have and provide assurance, whether it’s your first journey or your fourth.
Once you’ve passed the screening process, you’re ready to find your perfect match. Our surrogacy coordinators will consider your wants and needs, personality, medical history, and state laws to match you with the perfect intended parents. You’ll receive a “Dear Surrogate” letter written by the intended parents along with pictures. If you love what you read and feel that this individual or couple is the right match for you, your intended parent coordinator will facilitate an initial meeting via video conference to solidify the match. We look forward to welcoming you into our surrogate family and know you’ll feel right at home.
Hatch Fertility is known for setting the standards for surrogacy. We take pride in our 30+ years of experience, supportive team, and holistic care for surrogates, donors, and intended parents on this life-changing journey. Here are some of our highlights:
We understand the importance of compassionate care and are dedicated to the families we serve. At Hatch, we have partnered with Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles, the best fertility clinic in LA, to ensure our families have access to in-house fertility support from world-class fertility doctors. Intended Parents and Surrogates can work with a clinic of their choice, though can be comforted by our direct access to expert care.
At Hatch, we are established, passionate, inclusive, supportive, comprehensive, and serve families worldwide.
We understand prospecting surrogacy agencies to find the right fit can be challenging. Oftentimes, aspiring surrogates are looking to compare care, compensation, processes, and more. Here is what Hatch surrogates have to say about working with our surrogacy agency:
"My family and I are now a part of this beautiful, amazing, caring family and we have Hatch to thank for it. I was so happy that someone wanted me to carry their child. What an honor and blessing it was."
"It's the most rewarding, selfless thing that anyone can do. I loved being pregnant and would love to do something like that for somebody else. If anyone is considering being a surrogate, I’d tell them to go for it. Absolutely."
"Being a three time surrogate for this company has been the greatest experience I could have every had. The staff is amazing!!! They are with you every step of the way and there to comfort you when things aren't going as predicted. They are there at all hours of the day for whatever you need."
Shoshannah, 4x surrogate and Hatch team member.
Gestational surrogacy is the process of an incredible and selfless person carrying a fertilized embryo to term, who shares no genetic relationship with them. This family-building method makes parenthood possible for intended parents who are unable to have a child for any variety of reasons from infertility to being LGBTQ+.
Gestational surrogacy involves an individual who carries a baby conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), using the intended parents' embryo, and has no genetic connection to the child. This modern approach to surrogacy creates a unique bond between the surrogate and the intended parents and sidesteps the legal and emotional complexities associated with traditional surrogacy.
In contrast, traditional surrogacy involves the surrogate using their own egg, making them the biological mother of the child. This can lead to intricate legal and emotional challenges, as the surrogate has a genetic link to the baby. Due to these complexities, our agency exclusively facilitates gestational surrogacy.
Gestational surrogates undergo IVF treatment to achieve pregnancy and are not genetically related to the child they carry. An embryo created by the intended parents is transferred into the surrogate's uterus by a fertility doctor. This is a low-impact procedure that doesn't require pain relief or anesthesia. Pregnancy is confirmed by blood test around 12 days after transfer.
The surrogacy process can be emotional and exhausting for the intended parents and surrogate, and there may be many difficult conversations. Understanding the challenges of coordinating independent surrogacy for everyone involved is essential, including the location and coordination of medical services, higher attorney fees, compensation distribution, and lack of third-party communication for unforseen challenges. Because of this, pursuing surrogacy without an agency is generally more challenging.
It is quite common for partners to have a reaction to an endeavor with such a huge commitment associated with it. In many cases, partners may not understand all of what is involved in surrogacy or your aspirations to help complete another family.
For Hatch, if surrogates are married, they are required to have the full support of their partner.
Learn more about how to talk to your partner and family about becoming a surrogate ➜
There is a monetary allowance to meet with a counselor or mental health professional during and after the surrogacy. We also hold support group meetings for surrogates and they are invited to our closed Facebook support group.
With our 30+ years of operation, we’ve established a reputation for creating best practices in the field and a network of the top fertility centers and medical clinics in the nation. As a surrogate at Hatch, you’ll receive full support from everyone, from knowledgeable, empathetic referred doctors to staff members—including those who have been surrogates themselves— available to answer any question. You’ll receive education, reminders, and support throughout your journey, and your coordinator is only one text away. The Hatch team is like a friend that listens, and a professional you trust. We genuinely care for your well-being, and you’ll receive the support you need when you need it. We have been known to go the extra mile for our surrogate family, from delivering needed medications in a true emergency to providing assurances at early hours in the morning when urgent concerns arise.
If you want to become a surrogate with Hatch, please fill out our online application. After your application has been received and reviewed, our surrogacy specialists will reach out with your next steps through the contact information provided.
Though we are based in Los Angeles, California, we work internationally! For surrogacy, you would be traveling to the IVF clinic that the intended parents you match with are using, not to our agency. *Please note your travel is covered for journey related reasons.
Yes, Hatch Fertility is highly trustworthy with over 30 years of experience in surrogacy and fertility services. We have a proven track record, a rigorous screening process for surrogates & donors, and offer comprehensive legal, medical, & emotional support. Our transparent communication and adherence to ethical practices ensure a reliable and safe surrogacy journey for both surrogates and intended parents.
We have the utmost respect for your beliefs, and it is important that you and your Intended Parents are in step for critical decisions like this. Unfortunately, we do not have any Intended Parents on our wait list who would be comfortable waiving their ability to make such an important medical decision regarding a child they will be raising.
Terminations and reductions are extremely rare with more parents choosing to do single embryo transfers, and more parents using genetically-tested embryos both of which help to reduce risks (but do not eliminate them entirely).
Learn more about surrogacy terminations and reductions ➜
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