Is Surrogacy Legal in Wyoming?
Surrogacy Friendly States and a Shift Towards Surrogacy-Friendly Laws.
Is Surrogacy Legal in Wyoming?
Yes, gestational surrogacy is legal in Wyoming under the following conditions:
- The gestational carrier (surrogate) and intended parent(s) are 21 year of age or older.
- Intended parent(s) have been residents of Wyoming for at least one year.
- Surrogate compensation is “limited to expenses related to prenatal care, delivery of the child, and any other costs including the cost of lost opportunity that are directly connected to the pregnancy.”
Same-Sex Friendly
- Married Couple Friendly
- Non-Married Friendly
Single Friendly
- Donor Egg, Sperm, or Embryo Friendly
Post-Birth Order, or Post-Adoption Order
Wyoming courts do not grant pre-birth orders. The process for establishing parentage may be started before the child is born, but the formal issuance of parental orders must occur after the child’s birth. Unmarried heterosexual and same-sex couples can be granted post-birth parental orders, but the process may be easier if the couple is married. Additionally, surrogate compensation in Wyoming is restricted to expenses related to pregnancy, delivery, or lost opportunity due to the pregnancy.
Even though intended parents pursuing gestational surrogacy in Wyoming may face extra hurdles, it’s not impossible. Please work with a local attorney familiar with Wyoming’s laws if you’re considering surrogacy in the state.
How to Find a Surrogate in Wyoming
If you’re looking for a surrogate in Wyoming, you may have noticed that we’ve put the state on our “Less-Friendly” list. Why? Even though gestational surrogacy is practiced in Wyoming, it comes with more obstacles because of the state’s specific surrogacy requirements. However, that doesn’t mean that all intended parents in Wyoming 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!
Finding a Surrogacy Agency Near Me
Working with an experienced surrogacy agency can save you time, money, and energy on your surrogacy journey. An inexperienced agency, however, can stack up unscrupulous 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 Wyoming 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.
Who Uses Surrogacy in Wyoming?
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 any lost opportunity due to the pregnancy, intended parent(s) provide compensation to the surrogate.
There are many reasons why an individual or couple in Wyoming 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.
The Cost of Surrogacy in Wyoming
Surrogacy involves a significant financial investment. The total cost depends on your specific situation and needs, location, and other factors. In general, the costs of surrogacy can be broken down into the following categories:
- Medical & Mental Health Screenings
- Surrogate Medical Insurance
- Surrogate Compensation (For Lost Opportunity)
- IVF & Embryo Transfer
- Prenatal Care, Labor, & Delivery
- Travel & Miscellaneous Expenses
- Legal Fees
- Agency Fees
At Eggceptional Fertility, we offer our clients full transparency when it comes to fees and expenses. For a detailed explanation of our current surrogacy fees, click here.
How to Begin the Surrogacy Process in Wyoming
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.