Is Surrogacy Legal in Texas?
Surrogacy Friendly States and a Shift Towards Surrogacy-Friendly Laws.
Is Surrogacy Legal in Texas?
Texas law permits gestational surrogacy and surrogate compensation for married couples regardless of sexual orientation. This includes married couples who are using their own eggs and sperm and those using egg or sperm donations. Although some courts may grant parentage orders for unmarried couples or single parents, only married couples’ rights to surrogacy are enshrined in Texas law. Working with a legal professional experienced in Texas’ specific laws and regulations will help you navigate the process with confidence.
Same-Sex Friendly
- Married Couple Friendly
- Donor Egg, Sperm, or Embryo Friendly
Pre-Birth Order, Post-Birth Order, or Post-Adoption Order
Beginning Your Surrogacy Journey in Texas
Eggceptional Fertility understands the hopes and dreams you have for your family, and we strive to make this journey as easy as possible for you. Choosing the right surrogate for your family is a big decision, and we are honored to assist you on this journey. Our thorough screening process finds exceptional and dedicated surrogates who are prepared to make your family’s dreams a reality. Our staff of experienced and compassionate professionals will help guide you through your surrogacy journey.
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 Uses Surrogacy in Texas?
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 Texas 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.
What Is the Cost of Surrogacy?
Intended parents who pursue surrogacy in Texas 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
- Surrogate Medical Care (including prenatal, delivery, and postpartum)
- Surrogate Medical Insurance
- Medical & Mental Health Screenings
- IVF & Embryo Transfer
- Agency Fees
- Legal Fees
- Travel & Miscellaneous Expenses
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.
What to Look for in a Surrogacy Agency
Working with an experienced surrogacy agency can save you time, money, and energy on your surrogacy journey. An inexperienced agency, however, can stack up unnecessary fees or simply waste your time. Typing in “surrogacy agencies near me” can lead to an overwhelming number of links for different companies, many offering deals that seem too good to be true.
Eggceptional Fertility has been providing surrogacy services in Texas since 2008 and we believe everyone deserves the chance to create a family. We see all our intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors as part of one big Eggceptional family, joined by a common desire to build family legacies and change lives.
So how do you find a quality surrogacy agency? We recommend looking at three important factors:
- Experience – Surrogacy is a complex and lengthy process, leading to one of the most important moments of your life: when you become a parent. A quality surrogacy agency will have guided many surrogate journeys and know how to handle even the most unexpected situations.
- Transparency – With all the different details involved in surrogacy, it’s important to have a clear and complete sense of what to expect, from the surrogacy process to the expected timeline to the financial aspects. Look for a surrogacy agency that clearly lays out their fees and ask if there will be any additional costs that aren’t included in the initial agency agreement.
- Compassion – Becoming a parent through surrogacy is both incredibly rewarding and, at times, incredibly challenging. You deserve a surrogacy agency that roots for your success and supports you through the unexpected. Your goals should feel as important to the agency as they do to you.
When you find an experienced surrogacy agency that communicates clearly and feels fully supportive, you’ll know you’ve found the right one.
Starting Your Surrogacy Journey in Texas: Experience Matters
The surrogacy process involves:
- Matching with a surrogate
- Creating a legal surrogacy agreement
- Developing and transferring embryos
- Pregnancy, labor, and delivery
Of course, there are many more steps along the way! The journey begins with an initial consultation with your surrogacy agency. During this consultation, we’ll learn more about you and your family-building goals, as well as answer any initial questions you have about the process. We will also go into more detail about the entire surrogacy process to give you a clear understanding of what to expect. To begin your journey and find an excellent surrogate, schedule your initial consultation today.