# Surrogacy Costs



## ikklesmiler

Hi

Can anyone tell me what sort of costs im looking at for a surrogate to carry our embryos we have frozen? I have absolutely no idea and really need to know what sort of money we would be looking at before starting out. I don't want to start getting excited about it and then fall down with a harsh bump (have had enough if them!)

thanks in advance for any information.

Ann MArie xxxx


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## **Tashja**

Hi hun

Don't want to read and run so will try and help.  It has been a while since I have had to look at costs so they might be a bit out 

To find a surrogate you are usually recommended to join COTS, SUK, ALW, etc - fees for these agencies vary - someone above quoted £650 / £850 for COTS.

As far as I am are the Surrogates expenses should be around the £10,000 mark for carrying the baby.  Also once you have your surrogate you will have extra costs such as life insurance, transfer fees (payment for egg transfer was £50 / £100 I think), cost of Wills, travel to clinic, etc.  

Also if you are using a clinic you will have the clinic fees on top of this - this will include drugs for the Surrogate, drugs for you if you need to go through tx, counselling for you and Surrogate, blood tests for you and surrogate and any other related expenses - I cannot give you a cost for this because it obviously depends on your clinic and their costs.  If you call them they should be able to give you a price.  You might also have to spend on pee sticks too.  

At the end of the arrangement I am guessing there are other legal costs and costs associated with the Parental Order - Natalie (resident solicitor) might be able to help with these costs.

Also it is important to remember that these costs are not set in stone   Things go wrong as with any TX and quite offten the bill will fall to you, the IPs.  For example if you have a BFN more treatment might be needed or if there is a m/c ounselling for the Surrogate might be needed.

Hope this helps a little.  Hopefully someone who knows a bit more will be along soon.  

T xx


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## ikklesmiler

Hi Tahja

Thanks very much for your reply and help hun, It looks like i'll be looking at £15,000+,  I doubt we will be able to afford that for a few years yet, so meanwhile the yearly freezing fee, Its a shame cos im at the Lister clinic and their fees seem to be quite high compared to places such as the chaucer etc.  

Anyway thanks for replying hun, your reply was a great help, at least we know a start off price to be looking at, of course it could go a lot higher so really need to have a good amount put by before we started I think.

Thanks again

Ann Marie xxxxxxxxx


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## **Tashja**

Oh hun - I am sorry it wasn't better news but it is better to be prepared. 

TBH with unexpected costs and fees, etc I would look at having £20000 - £25,000 in a savings account.

Can you not move the embies to another clinic 

T xx


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## ikklesmiler

I did wonder about moving embies to another clinic, I dont know how to go about that, but its something i will look into.

Im glad that I found out what to expect price-wise before getting all excited and involved in finding a surrogate, wouldve been an awful shock otherwise  LOL

I was thinking maybe 20-25k too, I better start doing the lottery I think!!!!!

Ann MArie xxx


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## OD2

Hi Ann Marie,

First of all, good luck with your journey - I hope things work out for you quickly and easily.

Unfortunately, with host surrogacy, the harder time you have with your treatment, the more expensive it all is because you have to pay for more cycles if the first one doesn't work, which doesn't seem terribly fair.  Especially as it is definitely an expensive business.

Everyone's expenses are different, depending on the clinic, how far you/your surrogate have to travel, what your surrogate's work expenses are etc.  so you won't be able to do a proper budget until you know who you're working with.  However, to give you some idea, we budgeted in round figures along the following lines:

IVF expenses - £5k per frozen transfer from existing embies, or £8-10k for a fresh transfer, plus about £500 for drugs per cycle (this is highly variable depending on how you respond to treatment!)  Some people have been successful in getting a cycle paid for on the NHS, so that's worth looking into, and most clinics charge exhorbitant rates for their drugs, so it's worth getting them to write you prescriptions and just taking them to Tesco or similar - we saved hundreds, if not thousands of pounds doing this.

Surrogate's pre-pregancy expenses - around £700 per cycle.  This should cover e.g. life insurance, travel to clinic appointments, vitamin supplements, child care for clinic appointments, any loss of earnings.  

Surrogate's pregancy expenses - £10k.  Our surrogate actually has lower expenses than this, but it could easily have been £15k or more if, for example, our surrogate had a highly paid job which she had to take a lot of leave from.  This covers all the costs that she incurs as a result of being pregnant - everything from maternity clothes, to any special food or supplements you'd like to ask her to eat, to time off work or for extra help around the house when she's tired, and a modest holiday with her family afterwards to recover.

Our own additional expenses.  You've already mentioned the cost of joining one of the organisations if you choose to go down that road, so that is quite a significant cost.  Also, we spend time with our surrogate and her family as friends on a regular basis, not usually doing anything very expensive, but it's nice to be able to treat them to a trip to the zoo or a meal every now and then - when they let us!  Also, as they don't live close by, we have travel costs when we go to see them.  I haven't kept track of this at all, but with some surrogates it might be costly, so I would advise putting a thousand pounds or so by if you can.

Very importantly, you must keep a contingency - I'd advise about £10k if you can, but obviously it depends on how much you have saved.  Sadly, usually it takes a few attempts for the treatment to work, so you need to budget for that (you should agree with your surrogate at the outset how many attempts you are going to make), and also for anything else that might go wrong - for example, if your surrogate were to become ill due to her pregnancy and have to take several weeks or months off work unexpectedly, you would need to reimburse her for loss of income, which might prove expensive, and it would be too late to change your mind at that point!  Also, the last thing you want is to have a happy ending with your new baby and find that you've spent so much money that you can't afford a crib or a car seat to take him/her home from hospital, so it's wise not to budget right up to your financial limit.  

I'm sorry this is all a bit doom and gloom, but as you say, it's best to be prepared, rather than getting unstuck half way through or having your hopes dashed.  We actually got lucky on the first attempt, so things didn't add up as much as they might have done and hopefully things will go just as smoothly for you.  We're nearly 14 weeks pregnant and it all feels worth it from where I'm sitting!

Fx


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## **Tashja**

Thanks Lgft and OD2

Nice to see I am not to much out of touch !!!  It has been a while for me since I have had to look at costs. 

If nobody minds I am going to send a message to Jo and ask her to split this into 2 threads and give the new thread a name such as "Cost of Surrogacy" because there are some great answers on here and it is a question that pops up a fair bit !!  Might even be really cheeky and ask for it to be a sticky 

Thanks again and Ann Marie I really hope things work out for you - if you have anymore questions feel free to ask ((hugs))

T xx


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## ikklesmiler

hi

Thank you so much for your replies!!  

It certainly is a costly road to go down, but of course very worth it when its the last chance you have.
Unfortunatly the cost is way too high for us at this moment in time, I will look into seeing if we can get this on the NHS, but as they wouldnt pay for any IVF for us I cant see them helping with this.

Thank you again for your replies, they have really helped.

Ann MArie xxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## Fruitbat24

Hi

I got one cycle of drugs paid for via my GP which was helpful.  There wasn't anywhere around me that would do surrogacy on the NHS unfortunately.


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## watkinsfamily07

Just wanted to add my piece to this too as some figures seem a little high to me.

I am a host surrogate and had 2 frozen embryo transfers using my friends embryos.  The FET cost at CARE in manchester was 1150 pounds a go which fortunately was funded by the PCT (so do check it out to see if you can get funding, as most can have at least one free cycle). I have never heard of a clinic charging 5000 pounds for a FET !! Thats either a total con and rip off or an error. Its usually a few hundred pounds difference at most. You can also have you embryos moved for several undred pounds.

It worked second time for us, so we were very thankful. Also you need to cover the Organisation fees (up to 850 pounds with cots, but these are the best and I wouldn't do this through anyone else now as there is so much info and support).

then of course is the surrogates fees, and everyone is different. Not everyone asks for the full 11000 pounds (this is the upper limit of 'reasonable expenses' regardless of earning power of the surrogate) Anything over this amount will be questioned by the courts and may be deemed as compensation for being pregnant which is illegal. It will only be a higher cost if the surrogate undergoes a c-section or has twins or more. (1500 pounds for c-section and 3500 pounds for twins on top of surrogates fees).

I know lots of surrogates at Cots ask for far less than the standard figures as they are doing it to help others, not make money. I even knew one wonderful lady who wouldn't take a penny and saw being a surrogate as payment in itself.

It all boils down to how lucky you are with treatment at the end of the day, as this is the unexpected cost. 

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck and hope you meet a wonderful surrogte to help you achieve your dream !!


love
sarah
host surrogate

18 weeks pregnant with my friends baby


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## ikklesmiler

thank you all for your your fantastic information, im sure it will help me and many others thinking about embarking on a surro journey!!!    

thanks everyone.

Ann marie xxxx


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## OD2

Thanks for the correction Sarah - I think you're right that the frozen transfer itself was less than £5k, but I factored in the cost of putting the embies away in the first place.


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## tummy.mummy

Hello there...i'm new to this site.

I gave birth to my surrogate baby last november, i carried him for a family member.
I wasn't working at the time so had no loss of earnings, so the only 'expenses' i recieved were for maternity clothes, medication, petrol & parking for hospital visits etc..
I was a host surrogate so the parents had the IVF , FET etc to pay for, but i can't imagine it came to anything like the costs that have been mentioned here.

Before you join cots or surrogacy uk..it might be worth putting the feelers out, you may find someone you know would love to help and could save you in costs.

I hope you are lucky.
Love Maria. x


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## wellings

How strange, I know of the exact same situation where the IP's didn't continue.

OP - Good luck with everything.



lgft said:


> Getting help on the NHS is a lottery ... I do know of one set of IP's that would have had the IM / SM clinic treatment paid for .... got so far then the surro didnt continue .... they had a cut off date of 35/36 though - which she has now passed
> 
> So depending on where you postcode falls ....
> 
> Good luck


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## OD2

I just want to restate that, despite having gone through "one of the bigger organisations" our surrogate's expenses are absolutely genuine expenses and come to much less than the £10 I suggested budgeting earlier in the thread.  I would still recommend budgeting for at least £10k though, whether you meet your surrogate through an organisation or independently.  For a while I thought that my sister would be able to help me, but with hindsight, I would never have been able to afford her expenses because she has a highly paid job, and I wouldn't have wanted her to be out of pocket due to helping us.

F


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## ikklesmiler

Just wanted to say thanks for everyone for thier posts on costs,  I have taken this a step further and spoken to my DH, unfortunately he is totally against it, wont even discuss a surrogate! I knew he didn't like the idea but though he may come round, I know at the mo we cannot afford it, but though it was time to discuss and start saving, but its a definite no, DH cannot grasp that the baby is ours, he is adiment that he cannot have a surrogate carry our baby, so that's that for us.... It really is the end of our journey.. but its ok, I half expected it and had been ready for it.  Just wanted to thank everyone for their help and advice.

Also I want to say that anyone who is a surrogate is doing an amazing thing, a child is the most precious gift you can give.  well done, be proud of yourselves.

Ann Marie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## **Tashja**

Ikklesmiler

I am sorry DH has completely poo-pooed the idea of a surrogate   I can imagine though that it takes a lot to get your head around the fact that you will need a third parson to complete your family when most people do it with 2. 

I wish you all the luck in the world for the future.

T xx


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## nikkis

hi girls
can I ask which orgainisation people have chosen  to go to..there seem to be many out there and how do you chose?  Is it just a matter of going by Gut Feeling?
We are considering looking for a surrogate but to be honest dont know where to start..would never dare or dream of asking anyone else because it is such a BIG thing, and to be honest we are so frightened that it may go wrong and the lady may chose to keep the baby..that would be the straw that breaks the camels back...
Nikki


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## EJJB

Hi,
I think it is a matter of going with your gut feeling.
We joined both COTS and Surrogacyuk to start with, but left COTS after a year(long story).
We had always felt happier with SUK anyway, and met our surrogate through them. Our little girl is now 22 months, and we are still in touch with our surrogate, and active members of SUK, whom we have made some very good friends through.
What suits one person mat not suit another so why not shop around a bit, and find out what all the organisations have to offer.
EJJB
x


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## nikkis

thank you EJJB..its nice to hear from other people
and by the way, congratulations!!!

Ikklesmiler, you never know,m your hubby may change his mind in the future..my hubby was initially very against the idea of using donor sperm for ivf, but after many failures he got his head around to it..he had to really, there was little choice
Nikki


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## ikklesmiler

Thanks Nikki hun

Good luck with your journey, hope it goes smmothly hun...          

Ann Marie xxx


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## watkinsfamily07

Hi Nikki,

Whichever organisation you decide to join, I want to wish you the best of luck. I am a host surrogate with COTS and always found everyone really friendly and supportive. I can hand on heart assure you that no surrogate I have ever met has ever kept or wanted to keep a baby. We purely do it to help others achieve what we take for granted, and because we have already completed our families.  
I know that for inteneded parents its a really difficult time  meeting a trusting another person to carry your baby, but you just need to see all the positive stories that have already happened for many others who were once sitting where you are now.

Good luck hun


love sarah

36 weeks pregnant as a host surrogate.


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## nikkis

thanks for your kind messages girls
Sarah, what a lovely lady you are and not long to go..my husband used to live in Leigh!!!
Nikki


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## OD2

Hi Nikki

I just want to second what Sarah says about surrogates not wanting to keep the baby. I know it's a natural fear to have, but once you've got to know someone well enough to have them look after your child for 9 months, you really don't have any doubts.  Our surrobabe is due some time in the next two weeks or so, and my only worry is how I'm going to cope with seeing such a good friend go through pain to give us our baby.  I know she won't keep the baby - if she wanted a baby, she would have had one of her own.

Anyway, really good luck to you, however you go about things!

And Sarah, good luck to you for your big day too!

Fx


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## watkinsfamily07

Thanks guys.

Just to let you know that I gave birth friday just gone (19th) at 8.59pm. Little baby Lewis weighed a dainty 5 lb 6 oz and was absolutely beautiful!!!
It was so wonderful to see him handed straight to his mummy and she cried as she held him. It was the most amazing feeling to know that I had helped make them so happy. I still feel on top of the world 4 days later !!!

I had a lot of health problems with this pregnancy and the birth was quite traumactic towards the end, but I can hand on heart say it was all worth it. I am sure any surrogate will second that.
Anita did say she felt so helpless watching me go through the pain, and I know I would feel the same watching someone else go through that for me, but its just a stage of an incredible journey we all went through together.

Best of luck to you all !!!!!!!


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## ikklesmiler

Hi Honey!! well congratulations and well done!!! you are truly a wonderful person for what you do.

Ann Marie xxx


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## ♥JJ1♥

Congratulations you are a wonderful person and have brought them so much happiness
Hope that you recover soon
L X


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## debbie77

hi im also looking for a surrogate mummy and working out the costs


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## GemmaS

Hi I have just read the 3 pages of stories and feel so choked i have tears in my eyes,theres some great stories,how amazing..surrogates doing this,helping make people have families,its truely an amazing and angelic thing to do.
Which leads me to my story which if anyone would like to hear I am happy to discuss,
However I am posting this message in the hope to find out more information about surrogacy 
I have applied and been unsuccessful so I am appealing for NHS ivf surrogecy funding
But I need to find a surrogate mother,
I was not sure how to do this correctly,and when was the best time to search and find a match
Please can you help me,any advice,support and guidence would be grately appreciated,
Many thanks for your time and help,
I look forward to hearing from you soon
Sent from Ip


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## cheekylmh

As someone who has just joined looking to be a gestational surrogate, i have a question. Do you need to charge these fees as a surrogate mother to be ?


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## ♥JJ1♥

Cheekylmh - what a wonderful thing to do, people like you are so hard to come by. You don't ' charge fees' in fact it is illegal to 'charge fees' in the uk, as you cannot sell children, however you can ask for reasonable costs that you have incurred purely  by being pregnant wnith this child, and these expenses and money exchangex have to be declared to the court for assessment. Some surrogates are truly altruistic and ask for very little support or nothing at all, in the USA etc they charge fees but their laws are different, and you have to satisfy British law even if you have gone abroad to conceive etc. Good luck on your journey it is an amazing thing you are doing


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## kathcleary

Gemma


I found a wonderful surrogate through COTS.  Both my surrogate and I thought they were incredibly supportive through out the whole process, so I would very strongly recommend registering with them.
The only downside is you don't get sent details of potential surrogates, they send your details to surrogates, who effectively then decide whether to meet you or not.  We were fortunate - within 2 weeks of sending our forms off, someone wanted to meet us, and that person went on to carry gorgeous twin girls for us.
Key is to make sure you have a good relationship with the surrogate so you need to know you can get on as you will be sharing in some very intimate moments, and you need to be 200% sure that they are not going to change their minds.  We had met each others families before deciding to go ahead.
Our surrogate was someone who wasn't in it for the money, so all in all we have been amazingly lucky.


Kath


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## Will_it_be_soon

Wow! what can I say about the stories of true selflessness from some of you amazing ladies. I just didnt believe such kind people existed until I started to research surrogacy...I always thought it was something that cost so much money and was so out of reach but now you make me feel it MIGHT just be possible to find a lovely surrogate. We need to take a different route in our journey. I have tried regular IVF and failed to respond, had Donor egg IVF which resulted in a twin pregnancy and we were so devastated when I went into pre term labour at just 24 weeks and lost our baby girl on the day she was born, then our tiny son died aged 25 days old    Consultants are not certain why they came early and I dont think I could take the chance of going through a pregnancy again for fear it might happen to my baby again, so I think I need to look into Surrogacy.

Have you all been surrogates to local ladies or have they been in another part of the country? I just wondered what was easier really with regards to having a baby that you brought into the world potentially living just round the corner?

Good luck to everyone x


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