Is Surrogacy Legal in Tennessee?

How to Find a Surrogate in Tennessee

If you’re looking for a surrogate in Tennessee, you may have noticed that we’ve put the state on our “Less-Friendly” list. Why? Even though gestational surrogacy is practiced in Tennessee, most intended parent(s) will face additional obstacles. However, that doesn’t mean that all intended parents in Tennessee must look elsewhere for their surrogacy journey.

Eggceptional Fertility provides 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!

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 Tennessee 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.

Who Can Use a Surrogate?

Surrogacy allows people who cannot carry or deliver a baby on their own to become parents, often while still sharing a biological connection with their child. In surrogacy, a gestational carrier (or “surrogate”) receives an embryo developed from the intended parents and/or an egg or sperm donor. The surrogate then carries the pregnancy and then delivers a baby. The surrogate doesn’t have any parental rights to the baby. In fact, surrogates generously offer to bring someone else’s baby into the world simply because they want to help people become parents. In return for the surrogate’s effort and time, she receives compensation from the intended parent(s).

A Tennessee couple or individual might choose to find a surrogate for any of several reasons, including:

• They have healthy eggs but can’t safely become pregnant.
• They had a prior hysterectomy.
• Neither parent can carry a pregnancy (for instance, gay male couples).

Some intended parents may also need to use donor eggs or sperm on their path to parenthood.

What Is the Cost of Surrogacy in Tennessee?

Surrogacy requires a substantial financial investment. The exact amount depends on several factors, including surrogate experience, location, health insurance, and more. In broad terms, the total cost of surrogacy includes:

• Agency Fees
• Legal Fees
• Medical Fees
  • Egg retrieval or donor egg/donor sperm (if applicable)
  • In vitro fertilization (IVF)
  • Embryo transfer
  • Prenatal appointments
  • Labor & delivery
  • Postpartum recovery
• Surrogate-related expenses
  • Surrogate compensation
  • Medical screening and psychological evaluation
  • Health insurance
  • Travel expenses
  • Additional benefits

Typically, the intended parents pay for all related surrogacy expenses. Some surrogates have their own medical insurance that covers surrogate pregnancies. In these cases, intended parents may give their surrogate a slightly higher compensation because they don’t have to purchase a separate health insurance plan. Intended parents often provide additional benefits as laid out in their surrogacy agreement; for instance, house-cleaning services, a maternity clothes stipend, or if needed, childcare for the surrogate’s own children. Once you find your surrogate, you will meet together with attorneys to create a legal agreement that lays out the exact compensation and benefits.

How to Get Started Finding a Surrogate in Tennessee

The surrogacy process begins with finding an experienced surrogate agency and discussing your family-building goals with them. From there, your agency will guide you through the matching process of selecting a surrogate and creating a surrogacy agreement. Once the legal and financial arrangements are complete, your fertility clinic will start the IVF and embryo transfer process. Next comes pregnancy, delivery, and bringing home your new baby!

Of course, there are many more steps and details throughout the surrogacy process. We will help you navigate the entire process with confidence and care. To start your surrogacy journey, schedule an initial consultation. At this appointment, we’ll get to know you and your family goals, and you’ll get to know us and ask any and all questions you have. The path to parenthood is only a click away – schedule your initial consultation today.