Build Your Family
Through Surrogacy
We know that nobody comes to a surrogacy agency from a place of contentment and ease. Either you are reading this right now because of infertility (explained or unexplained), recurrent pregnancy loss, or another medical diagnosis or health condition, or because you are a gay male couple or single man or transwoman and are missing a key biological component of family formation. Everyone arrives at this point with a different story and different physical and emotional tolls, but nobody would set out wanting to spend this amount of time, money, and effort on bringing home a baby.
At the same time, parents like us are so fortunate that surrogacy is an option in the United States, and that there are kindhearted people willing to help us build our families. For all of the ups and downs along the road to parenthood, the surrogacy journey can be truly beautiful.
Let us make the rest of your road to parenthood as positive of an experience as it can be.
We’ve been there. When my husband and I started figuring out how we would have children, we talked to a few friends who had gone through surrogacy and did a lot of Googling. It all seemed so overwhelming, so we opted for one of the biggest, oldest agencies, figuring that we’d be in good hands. I have no horror story to report—it was a fine experience. But now that we’re on the other end, we know two things: First, all of the ups and downs, all of the time and money, was absolutely worth it. Second, the agency process could be so much better. Brownstone was created to be the agency we would have wanted.
– Jarret Zafran, Founder and Executive Director
What Is Surrogacy?
A gestational surrogate is someone who carries a baby for intended parents unable to carry the baby on their own. The intended parents create embryos from an egg (from either the intended parent or an egg donor) and sperm (from an intended parent or a sperm donor) through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the embryo is transferred into the surrogate’s uterus to grow. The surrogate is not genetically related to the child.
How Does This Work?
We pair you, the intended parent(s), with a surrogate who has undergone extensive screening and is ready and excited to help you build your family. We provide expert guidance and support to both you and your surrogate throughout the process, including helping you find the doctors, lawyers, accountants, donor agencies, and others who will assist you along the way. Whatever you need, we have your back.
What Does It Cost?
It depends. We know that’s a frustrating answer, but it’s also true. Our best estimate is that the surrogacy journey costs around $150,000 excluding IVF or donor expenses. We know firsthand the financial burden this places on families and have tried to make this more affordable in three ways: (1) by being as transparent as possible about your anticipated costs; (2) by keeping our all-inclusive agency fee low; and (3) by working with you on financing options. For more information, including a detailed cost sheet, visit our costs page or contact us.
Who Is Involved?
They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, surrogacy requires
a village to bring the child into the world, but that entire village is there
for you, to support you and your dreams of bringing home this baby.
Your village would include:
- You—you supply the key ingredients: your intentions and your love.
- Your Surrogate—your surrogate takes great care of your baby in utero.
- Brownstone—we coordinate all the details of your journey, working closely with you, your surrogate, and every other member of your village.
- Lawyers—the lawyers represent you and your surrogate to ensure that everyone agrees on key terms of the relationship and that you have full legal rights to your child.
- Doctors—the fertility doctors help you create your embryos (from your own genetic material or that of donors) and guide your surrogate through the IVF process.
- Mental Health Professionals—we work with mental health professionals both for screening and education purposes upfront and to support you and your surrogate during the emotional journey.
- Accountants and Agents—you will have expert support from escrow agents managing compensation and reimbursements and insurance agents who make sure your pregnancy is covered.
While there are many moving parts to the surrogacy journey, you can trust that we are actively coordinating it all on your behalf.
Want To Know More?
Ready To
Get Started?
Brownstone Surrogacy is licensed as a surrogacy matching program by the New York State Department of Health. Our license number is GS221023. We are proud to be among the few agencies licensed by a governmental regulator.
“Gestation is a marvel, no matter how it is accomplished. But gestation isn’t the real magic. Love is the magic. Love is the only magic.” – Early: An Intimate History of Premature Birth and What It Teaches Us About Being Human by Sarah DiGregorio