Surrogacy in St. Louis

Key Points:

• Find surrogacy agencies and other professionals in the St. Louis, Missouri area.
• Learn more about the surrogacy professionals involved in the process.
• Begin the St. Louis surrogacy process by contacting a surrogacy agency today.

There are several professionals needed to complete the surrogacy process. Surrogacy is complicated, and having an experienced and knowledgeable professional who’s able to guide you through the required steps will be invaluable, whether you’re a potential surrogate in St. Louis or intended parents. Finding the right St. Louis surrogacy agencies, fertility clinics, attorneys and other necessary services may seem overwhelming, but we can help.

For those who wish to become parents through surrogacy in St. Louis, MO, or for those who want to become a surrogate mother, the resources listed below can help you find the professionals you’ll need to complete your St. Louis surrogacy journey.

To learn more about the how surrogacy in St. Louis, Missouri, works for surrogates and intended parents, go here.

Speak with a specialist today!

How to Become a Surrogate in St. Louis

If you’re in St. Louis and want to become a surrogate, follow these steps:

1. Contact a surrogacy agency: Surrogacy agencies can help you begin initial screenings. Apply to be a surrogate in St. Louis by contacting an agency.
2. Meet Requirements and complete a screening process: Once you fill out paperwork and do basic checks, you will complete a more thorough evaluation.
3. Get connected to a family: At the end of screening, having a professional help you find a great family means that you can build a strong relationship with the family you help.
4. Become pregnant: You will undergo IVF and become pregnant with an embryo from the intended parents.

Fill out this simple form to take the first step and get connected to a surrogacy professional.

Surrogate Requirements in St. Louis

Surrogacy requirements help ensure a safe and healthy surrogacy journey where everyone feels comfortable.

You meet the basic requirements if you:

• Are age 21-40 years old
• Have had a previous successful pregnancy
• Are currently raising a child

If you meet these basic requirements, you can fill out this simple form and get a complete screening. There are additional guidelines—some are established by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and some are industry standards for fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies, but in some cases there are exceptions.

How to Find a Surrogate in St. Louis

To find a great surrogate in St. Louis, connecting with a surrogacy agency can make your life much easier.

The best agencies can help you find a surrogate in an average of 1 - 6 months. Surrogacy agencies can help you find a surrogate by:

• Marketing: Having great marketing means that you can find a better surrogate, faster.
• Screening: Surrogacy professionals know the questions to ask to make sure surrogates are ready to begin their surrogacy journey.
• Keeping a balanced list: Great surrogacy agencies make an effort to keep a good ratio between surrogates and intended parents.
• Matching: Surrogacy professionals not only have expertise on the basic requirements of surrogacy, they also have insight and experience that can help you find a surrogate match that will be a great fit for your family.
• Offering re-match: At great surrogate agencies, you may have the option to re-match with another surrogate if you have an unsuccessful pregnancy attempt.

How Much Do Surrogates Make in St. Louis?

As a surrogate in St. Louis you can be compensated an average of $50,000-$110,000. More experienced surrogates can earn more than first time surrogates.

Compensation can include base pay as well as reimbursement for expenses like:

• Travel expenses
• Maternity clothing
• Bed rest compensation
• Pregnancy self-care
• Post-pregnancy self-care
• Lost wages
• Counseling (if needed)
• Spouse lost wages
• Housekeeping
• Family meals

Learn how much you can make as a surrogate here.

How Much Does Surrogacy Cost in St. Louis?

Surrogacy costs on average can range from $80,000-300,000+, and includes things like:

• Medical expenses: Medical screening, egg retrieval, IVF, and medical checkups are common medical expenses in surrogacy.
• Legal fees: Legal fees can include creating a legal contract with your surrogate, receiving guidance to assure you are following state laws, and establishing legal parentage for your child.
• Case management expenses: A surrogacy professional coordinates communication and helps bring together the many moving pieces of surrogacy so that your legal, medical, and personal needs all line up.
• Surrogate matching: Finding a great, qualified surrogate is not always an easy task, so surrogacy agencies must put in time into marketing and screening surrogates, and experienced surrogacy professionals are knowledgeable about what makes a good match.
• Gestational carrier fees: Your gestational carrier will be setting aside time and in some cases personal goals for nine months to help you. In return, you can support your surrogate by compensating her for her time, reimbursing her for extra expenses from pregnancy, and helping her feel comfortable.

Finding a surrogacy agency that lists fees transparently and maintains a clear fee can help you predict costs and achieve your dreams without unexpected barriers.

Or, you can start with this list of St. Louis surrogacy professionals, who can help you become an intended parent or surrogates in St. Louis, Missouri:

Surrogacy Agencies in St. Louis

The following St. Louis surrogate agencies provide matching and screening services for intended parents and surrogates, in addition to case management and counseling. They can also refer you to local clinics and attorneys, which means a St. Louis surrogacy agency can essentially help you complete your STL surrogacy process from start to finish.

While some surrogates and intended parents choose to pursue surrogacy independently, there are many advantages of working with a surrogacy agency in St. Louis.  With a surrogate agency, you can find intended parents or surrogates easily, and breathe easier knowing that they’ve already been thoroughly screened and have met the agency’s requirements. You’ll be able to benefit from the full range of services that agencies are able to provide for surrogates and intended parents, and you’ll be connected to any services they’re unable to provide for you in-house. Agencies are sort of the “one-stop shop” for intended parents and surrogates in St. Louis.

There are many surrogate agencies in St. Louis, Missouri, that surrogates and intended parents may wish to work with, as well as larger agencies in Missouri and across the U.S. that serve the St. Louis area. Some options include:

• American Surrogacy
• Alternative Reproductive Resources
• Fertility Network

Surrogacy Clinics in St. Louis

Access to a local fertility clinic, also sometimes called a Saint Louis surrogacy clinic, will be needed for both the intended parents and the surrogate in St. Louis in order to complete the medical stages of the surrogacy process, such as IVF and embryo transfer.

Intended parents will often already have a clinic in mind if they previously received fertility treatments there. Or, a surrogacy agency can typically refer you to a high-quality local St. Louis surrogacy clinic. Still need to choose a fertility clinic to work with? Clinics for surrogacy in St. Louis, MO that you could utilize include:

• SIRM St. Louis
• Washington University Fertility & Reproductive Medicine Center
• Mercy Clinic Fertility Services
• Center for Reproductive Medicine & Robotic Surgery
• Vios Fertility Institute
• Barnes Jewish Hospital
• Luke’s Hospital

Surrogates who live outside of STL may need to travel to the intended parents’ clinic for one or two procedures, like the embryo transfer. However, any expenses that a surrogate and her spouse incur during these trips will be compensated for them.

When a healthy pregnancy has been confirmed, surrogates can go to their regular OBGYN for their routine prenatal checkups.

St. Louis Surrogacy Lawyers

In order for intended parents and surrogates to complete the legal steps of the surrogacy process, they’ll need to be individually represented by a St. Louis surrogacy attorney. St. Louis surrogacy agencies are often able to connect you with attorneys for surrogacy in St. Louis, Missouri, but you could also choose to contact any one of these local lawyers:

• Tim Schlesinger
• Stange Law Firm
• The Law Offices of Mary Beck
• Stewart, Mittleman & O’Rourke
• Karen S. Rosenberg
• The Lake Law Firm
• The Buxner Law Firm
• The Coulter Law Firm, LLC

Your St. Louis surrogacy attorney will draft your side of the surrogacy contract, help to establish parental rights, file for any pre-birth orders and ensure that the surrogacy process is being completed legally and ethically. They’ll ensure that no unforeseen legal complications will arise in your surrogacy journey, so working with an experienced and capable attorney is important.

Maternity Hospitals in St. Louis

If you’re a surrogate in St. Louis, MO, you’ll create a birth plan that includes choosing the hospital where you’d like to deliver the intended parents’ baby. The parents may travel to be with you at this hospital for the birth, so that they can support you and you can celebrate the baby’s arrival together.

Some local STL maternity hospitals and birthing centers that you could incorporate into your surrogate pregnancy plan include:

• Missouri Baptist Medical Center
• Anthony’s Medical Center
• Mercy Birthplace
• Spectrum Birth Services
• Mary’s Hospital
• Luke’s Hospital

Choosing Your St. Louis Surrogacy Professionals

One of the most important choices you’ll make in the course of your surrogacy journey is selecting the St. Louis surrogacy professional you work with. This professional will guide you through the complicated legal, medical and emotional steps of the surrogacy process, so it’s important that you find a professional that you feel comfortable working with.

When you’re looking at a potential surrogacy agency in St. Louis, ask plenty of questions to make sure that they’re the right fit for you, and that they’ll be able to meet all of your needs for your surrogacy goals. Ask about their individual requirements for surrogates and intended parents, their screening processes for both parties, the services they offer, costs and anything else you need to feel confident about working with that surrogacy agency in St. Louis.

If you’re ready to start the process of surrogacy in St. Louis, Missouri now, you can contact a St. Louis surrogacy professional here.