Is Surrogacy Legal in Wisconsin?

Beginning Your Surrogacy Journey in Wisconsin

Finding a surrogate is easy with Eggceptional Fertility. We understand your hopes and dreams for your family, and we are honored to assist you on this journey. Choosing your surrogate is an incredibly important decision, and we are here to ensure that choice is as easy and comfortable as possible. We use a rigorous screening process that is unmatched in the industry to find exceptional, dedicated surrogates. Our staff is composed of experienced and compassionate professionals who will 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 Uses Surrogates?

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 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 time and effort, she receives compensation from the intended parent(s).

A Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?

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 childcare for the surrogate’s own children, if needed. Once you find your surrogate, you will meet together with attorneys to create a legal agreement that lays out the exact compensation and benefits.

What to Look for in a Surrogacy Agency

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 safety and success for everyone involved. While surrogacy experiences can share certain similarities, each journey is unique and unexpected situations can 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 logistically and emotionally. 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

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 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.