Surrogacy In Virginia
How to Become a Surrogate in Virginia
Becoming a surrogate is a wonderful way to help someone build a family and get compensated well for doing so. It’s a win-win for mamas who want to expand their tribe, teach their children about helping others, while also earning additional income that doesn’t take time away from their own babies.
Surrogates often make lifelong friends on the journey, both with intended parents and other surrogates they meet along the way. Completing a surrogacy journey gave me a sense of fulfillment and purpose unlike anything else I’d ever felt before, even in all my years as a teacher.
The compensation and the financial flexibility that allowed my family was just a bonus compared to the true reward of helping others.
Did you know?
“Approximately one in eight couples are affected by infertility in the United States. That’s about 6.7 million people each year who have trouble conceiving.”
And approximately 3% of those having trouble with infertility will need to undergo IVF to get pregnant or will need the help of a surrogate in order to build a family.
That is 201,000 people each year and growing. Imagine the frustration and pain that these couples go through as they observe their friends, family, and acquaintances having children and feeling like that joy is just out of reach for them.
Source: https://www.fertilityanswers.com/13-stats-know-infertility/
How Surrogacy Is Can Help?
We are a group of experienced surrogates providing free service and support to aspiring surrogates in Virginia and in almost every state in the US. Based on experience, one of the most grueling parts in becoming a surrogate is the application and pre-screening process that has to happen before you can even start the exciting part of finding your right match.
On my first journey, I spent so much time and effort filling out multiple application forms from different surrogacy agencies, trying to find specifics about their compensation and matching process, and feeling lost and frustrated. Ultimately, I ended up just settling on the first agency that got me on the phone because I didn’t have time to do all the research on top of mom life and my full time job. During the process I found out that a lot of surrogate hopefuls actually give up because of the time and effort needed in just the application process, and feeling anxious about how much there is to learn.
Knowing that thousands upon thousands of couples need the help of surrogates, it pains me to know that when one surrogate gives up that means someone will also lose their chance to build a family with her help.
Together with experienced surrogates and volunteers who are willing to share and support aspiring surrogates, we took away the grueling application process and turned it into two simple steps.
- Fill out our short 8-minute pre-qualifying quiz.
- When qualified, connect with us to help find the best surrogacy agency in Virginia.
Becoming a Surrogate in Virginia
If you are willing to help a couple start a family, simply fill out our pre-qualifying quiz and one of our Surrogate Advocates will contact you to answer any questions you may have and walk you through the next steps in the process.
What are the requirements to become a surrogate in VA?
Requirements may vary from agency to agency but in general, here are some surrogacy requirements in Virginia.
- Aged 21 – 40 and must be in good physical health with a BMI between 18 – 34.
- Had had no major complications in pregnancy history and only 6 live births and no more than 2 C-sections.
- Is a citizen or a legal resident of the United States.
- Does not use drugs or any illegal substance.
- Is financially stable and not a recipient of any government financial aid such as welfare, cash assistance, etc… Please consult with us to see if a government assistance would disqualify you or not.
Read more about surrogacy requirements.
Hear surrogates talk about the myths and misconceptions they’ve encountered in their journey to be life-giving supermoms.
Hear Sunshine tell the story of her first surrogacy journey that changed her life forever!
How Much Do Surrogates Get Paid in Virginia?
Surrogates in Virginia are compensated generously because of the heroic act that they do. Going through an otherwise uncomfortable situation to help a couple or individual build their dream of family is nothing short of priceless and no monetary reward can actually make up for it.
Compensation varies from agency to agency and if there are special requests from the intended parents but, in general, surrogate payments in VA range from $40K to $75K plus other perks and benefits.
Compensation and benefits include but are not limited to:
- Mock cycle fee starting at $500+.
- Embryo transfer fee starting at $1,000+.
- C-section fee $2,500+
- Health insurance premiums (actual cost).
- Monthly allowance.
- Lost wages (actual)
And more.
Compensation can actually be broken down into four stages. Compensation before pregnancy, during pregnancy, post-partum, and as-needed compensation and benefits.
Read more about surrogate compensation.
Surrogacy Laws in Virginia
Both traditional and gestational surrogacy is permitted in Virginia and are upheld by Virginia’s Assisted Conception Statute.
There are some nuances though so working with an experienced surrogacy agency is important to make sure that they fully comply with Virginia’s statutory surrogacy program.
One of those nuances is the unique process for establishing parentage wherein the intended parents may only obtain parental rights through adoption.
All of these will be discussed with you prior to signing a surrogate agreement and it is important to ask all questions you may have not only in terms of the legalities but the requirements, responsibilities, and the compensation as well. This way, you know exactly what your responsibilities are and what you are entitled to in every step of the process and in every situation that may arise.
