Being a Surrogate
Our Side Hustles Breakdown
We recommend being a surrogate for its emotional and financial benefits. It’s a chance to help someone build a family while earning substantial compensation. The medical coverage ensures good health care, but one must be ready for the associated health risks, legal complexities, and time commitment.
Cons
- Physical and Emotional Risk: Pregnancy always carries certain health risks and emotional burden.
- Legal Complexity: Navigating the legal aspects can be complex and may require a good lawyer.
- Time-Consuming: The entire process from application, screening, pregnancy to postpartum recovery can take a significant amount of time.
Pros
- Financial Compensation: Being a surrogate provides substantial financial compensation, helping to secure your financial situation.
- Emotional Reward: Knowing you are helping someone who can’t conceive naturally is an incomparable emotional reward.
- Medical Coverage: All your medical expenses are covered, ensuring you receive the best care during pregnancy.
If you’re a woman needing a lucrative side hustle and enjoying pregnancy, have you considered becoming a surrogate candidate?
Although it’s a very uncommon side hustle, being a surrogate offers women a chance to earn a large sum of money and help the intended parents start a family.
If you want to be a surrogate, this guide will provide all the information you need to see if surrogate pregnancy suits you and kickstart your surrogacy journey.
An Overview of Being a Surrogate: A Primer
Surrogacy involves having a surrogate mother carry and bear the intended parents’ baby.
Surrogates and the intended parents may choose to undergo traditional or gestational surrogacy.
Traditional surrogates conceive using the sperm of the intended father injected through artificial insemination.
In contrast, gestational surrogacy uses in vitro fertilization (IVF) to fertilize the egg and sperm of the intended parents and place the embryo inside the gestational carrier.
Unlike becoming an egg donor, aspiring surrogates undergo a rigorous screening process and strict surrogate requirements. This process includes medical and psychological screenings and checking of medical history.
How Much Can Being a Surrogate Earn You?
The payment for being a surrogate mother or gestational carrier varies per agency or platform.
For example, surrogates at SENSIBLE Surrogacy receive from $65,000 to $85,000 for their surrogacy journey.
On the other hand, West Coast Surrogacy pays surrogates between $60,000 to $92,000.
However, the amount you earn also depends on your state. ZipRecruiter lists Wisconsin with the highest surrogate salary in the U.S., with an average annual pay of $65,253.
Meanwhile, Florida offers the lowest-paying state for surrogates, with an average annual salary of $42,699.
Regardless, surrogates, especially experienced surrogates, earn high fees for their role.
How Much Does It Cost to Start a Surrogate Side Hustle?
Fortunately, there’s little to no cost if you want to be a surrogate or gestational carrier.
A fertility clinic or agency often pays for your expenses throughout the process of becoming a surrogate to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
They also pay for additional expenses like monthly allowances, embryo transfer fees, prenatal care, a pregnancy test, travel expenses, health insurance, and compensation for lost wages.
But you need to prepare for travel and medical expenses while pregnant since some clinics or agencies don’t reimburse these until after giving birth.
To give you an idea of how much you might spend, West Coast Surrogacy allots a one-time bonus of $3,000 for fees and allowances, $300 for additional monthly and other allowances, $3,000 for nonaccountable allowances (e.g., maternity clothing and housekeeping), and $1,500 for the embryo transfer fee.
Where Can You Find Gigs Being a Surrogate?
If you want to be a surrogate, explore the various platforms and agencies below.
Where to Independently Find Surrogate Gigs
If you want to directly find and connect with the intended parents or an IVF clinic, consider the following online websites.
1. Nodal
Nodal.com connects pre-screened gestational surrogate mothers and intended parents while supporting both parties.
Their average base compensation ranges from $45,000 to $75,000.
The process involves applying via their website, getting screened by their surrogacy professionals, creating a profile on the platform, and reaching out to an intended parent.
2. Expecting
Expecting.ai offers a simpler, streamlined, and cost-effective platform that connects intended parents and agencies to surrogacy and egg donation candidates.
To become a surrogate, some qualifications include having at least one successful pregnancy, a body mass index of under 32, generally good medical records, no criminal record, a drug-free lifestyle, and U.S. citizenship.
Gig Economy Companies That Offer Surrogate Work
Explore the following agencies looking for surrogates and connecting you to an intended mother or father.
1. Simple Surrogacy
Owned and operated by an all-female team, Simple Surrogacy offers an egg donor and surrogacy program for heterosexual and homosexual couples and single families.
This reputable surrogacy agency has ties with professional doctors, psychologists, and lawyers to assist you with medical and psychological screening and signing of legal contracts.
First-time gestational carriers get a base pay of $50,000, while past surrogates receive around $58,500 and up.
2. American Surrogacy
American Surrogacy offers full-service surrogacy for surrogates in the U.S. and clients globally.
It’s the best surrogacy agency for surrogate mothers who want competitive pay and proper care for every step of the surrogate process.
They also have a legal team to protect your rights before signing a legal contract and during the entire surrogacy timeline.
Surrogates receive a fee ranging from $40,000 to $75,000.
Why You Should Consider Being a Surrogate As a Side Hustle
If you’re unsure of this side hustle, check out the perks of traditional or gestational surrogacy.
- Help Others Start a Family: Getting paid to be a surrogate enables you to help couples and individuals have a child and build a family.
- Receive High Pay and Reimbursements: Becoming a gestational carrier or surrogate mother gives you a high-paying fee for your role, time, and efforts.
- Enjoy the Gift of Pregnancy: Some women love the experience of pregnancy. If you love being pregnant, becoming a surrogate mother allows you to experience it while helping the intended parents.
Problems With Being a Surrogate for Money
Before signing a surrogacy contract, consider the following challenges with the role:
- Must Deal With Stigma: When you become a surrogate, expect some people, even loved ones, won’t understand or accept your decision. Others still have a stigma or misconception about traditional and modern surrogacy.
- Experience Mental and Physical Challenges: Unlike selling your eggs, the surrogacy process isn’t easy. You’ll experience changes and discomforts in your body and may develop an attachment to the baby.
- Includes Risks: Surrogacy journeys involve pregnancy risks and complications like miscarriage, gestational diabetes, and infection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It a Good Idea to Be a Surrogate?
Surrogacy’s perks mainly involve helping the intended parents have a child and receiving high compensation. If you need a high-paying gig and don’t mind getting pregnant, it’s a good idea to become a surrogate mother.
Is a Surrogate the Real Mother?
Traditional surrogacy makes the carrier the baby’s biological mother since they use the surrogate’s egg.
Meanwhile, gestational surrogates don’t have any genetic relationship with the baby, as they only bear the child.
