Is Surrogacy Legal in Massachusetts?
Surrogacy Friendly States and a Shift Towards Surrogacy-Friendly Laws.
Is Surrogacy Legal in Massachusetts?
Yes, gestational surrogacy is legal in Massachusetts based on established case law. Courts will commonly grant pre-birth orders when the intended parent(s) have a genetic link to the child. In other scenarios, the timing of parentage orders typically occurs on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, heterosexual and same-sex couples have the same rights throughout the surrogacy process. If you’re pursuing surrogacy in Massachusetts, it’s important to consult with a legal profession that can help you navigate the process.
Same-Sex Friendly
- Married Couple Friendly
- Non-Married Friendly
Single Friendly
- Donor Egg, Sperm, or Embryo Friendly
Pre-Birth Order, Post-Birth Order, or Post-Adoption Order
Beginning Your Surrogacy Journey in Massachusetts
Eggceptional Fertility is honored to assist you in your journey to fulfill your family’s hopes and dreams. Choosing your surrogate is an incredibly important decision, and we are here to help make that decision as easy as possible. Our rigorous screening process is unmatched in the industry and helps us find exceptional and dedicated surrogates. Our staff is made up of experienced and compassionate professionals ready to guide you through your surrogacy journey with care.
We provide in person, phone, video conference, and email communication options to make our services more accessible. There is never a charge for a consultation with Eggceptional Fertility. We are excited to get to know you and help you on your journey!
Who Can Use a Surrogate?
Surrogacy provides a wonderful option for intended parents who cannot carry and deliver a baby on their own, for any variety of reasons. In surrogacy, an embryo is developed in a fertility clinic and then transferred to the uterus of a surrogate (or “gestational carrier”). The surrogate then carries the pregnancy and delivers the baby. In return for the time, energy, and physical effort, the intended parent(s) provide compensation and benefits to the surrogate.
There are many reasons why an individual or couple in Massachusetts might choose to find a surrogate on their path to parenthood. For instance, a woman might have healthy eggs, but not be able to carry a pregnancy for medical reasons. In this case, she could have her eggs retrieved, fertilized with her partner’s sperm, and then transferred to a surrogate who can safely carry and deliver a baby. In this way, both intended parents can still have a biological child. On the other hand, surrogacy also provides a path to fatherhood for single intended fathers and same-sex male couples, who can fertilize donor eggs with their sperm and transfer the resulting embryo to a surrogate.
How Much Does Surrogacy Cost?
Intended parents who pursue surrogacy tend to have three large categories of expenses: surrogate compensation, medical costs, and agency fees. These costs can be further broken down as:
- Surrogate Compensation
- Medical & Mental Health Screenings
- IVF & Embryo Transfer
- Travel & Miscellaneous Expenses
- Agency Fees
- Legal Fees
- Surrogate Medical Insurance
- Surrogate Medical Care (including prenatal, delivery, and postpartum)
The exact cost of surrogacy varies based on location, specific needs, surrogate experience, and other details. For instance, surrogates often receive additional compensation if they carry twins or if they need to have a C-section during delivery.
Your surrogacy agency should provide a clear estimate of costs for your specific surrogacy journey. This should include both the agency’s fees and a typical breakdown of overall expenses and costs. Eggceptional Fertility has a mission to provide clear and transparent information on fees and expenses. For a more detailed look at our current surrogacy fees, click here.
How to Find a Surrogacy Agency Near You
Surrogacy is a major emotional, physical, and financial commitment. It’s important to work with an experienced, quality surrogacy agency to save on time, money, energy, and ensure the smoothest possible journey. To find an excellent surrogacy agency, look for one with:
- Experience – the surrogacy journey is long and complex, with thousands of important details to ensure success and safety for everyone involved. While surrogacy experiences can share certain similarities, unexpected situations often arise. A surrogacy agency with years of experience will help you navigate your journey to parenthood with skill and confidence.
- Compassion – Intended parents pursuing surrogacy can feel a wide range of emotions – excitement, anxiety, joy, nervousness, and more. All these feelings are completely valid, and you deserve to work with an agency who will support you emotionally as well as logistically. Listen to your intuition when you meet with potential surrogacy agencies and stay away from anywhere that makes you feel like a number instead of a complete human being.
- Transparency – Surrogacy is complicated, but it shouldn’t be mysterious. As an intended parent, you deserve to be fully informed and aware of every aspect of the process. Of course, you won’t need to manage these details – that’s what your agency is for! Still, a great surrogacy agency will be open and honest about answering your questions, whether it’s about their matching process, the surrogate timeline, or their costs and fees.
Since 2008, Eggceptional Fertility has provided expert surrogacy services to Massachusetts families, led by our belief that everyone deserves the chance to build a family. Our intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors all make up our extended Eggceptional community, united by our shared dream of helping families.
How to Begin the Surrogacy Process in Massachusetts
In the surrogacy process, intended parents first schedule an initial consultation with a surrogacy agency. This first appointment allows the intended parents to get to know their agency and vice versa. At Eggceptional Fertility, we offer a free initial consultation to all intended parents where we ask you about your hopes, goals, and questions about the process. We will also go through the entire experience in more detail, including how we help you find a surrogate through our expert matching process. From there, we’ll start scheduling meetings with potential surrogates until you find the right fit for your family building goals. You can read more about the surrogacy process here. While the process is complex, it all starts with a single step: schedule your initial consultation today.