Through Surrogacy, Give the Gift of Family
Becoming a Brownstone Surrogate
Being a gestational surrogate is an incredible act of kindness for others. Surrogates bring hope either to couples who have struggled with loss and disappointment or those without a uterus like a gay male couple. As a surrogate, you could change someone’s life forever. We are so happy you are considering being a surrogate and working with us to make others’ dreams of parenthood a reality.
As a surrogate through Brownstone, you will:
- Earn more than $50,000 in compensation
- Become a part of the Brownstone family with personal support available 24/7
- Receive important benefits, including generous life insurance and mental health support
- Match with parent(s) who respect, honor, and celebrate what you’re doing
- Experience surrogacy the right way – with ethical practices, your choice of attorney, and an independent escrow agent
- Be a part of an amazing community of other first-time and experienced surrogates
We’ll be guiding you every step of the way as you make some of your own wishes come true while helping others achieve their dreams of parenthood.
What Is Surrogacy?
A surrogate—also called a gestational carrier or gestational surrogate—is someone who carries a baby for people (intended parents) who are unable to carry the baby on their own. To be clear, with gestational surrogacy, the surrogate is not biologically related to the child they will be carrying. 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). Once their embryo is created through in vitro fertilization (IVF), that’s where the surrogate would come in. The embryo is transferred into the surrogate’s uterus to grow. Some surrogates describe the process as “extreme babysitting.”
The vast majority of surrogates feel incredible delight in providing this gift to intended parents, with whom they have usually developed a unique and special relationship. Surrogates often describe the “high” of watching the parents meet their child for the first time. Even more than the compensation, this is how surrogates know it was “all worth it.”
Sounds Great! Do I Qualify?
Everyone’s goal is a successful, uncomplicated process that results in a healthy baby and surrogate. To that end, there are certain baseline requirements that help ensure that a person is a good fit physically, mentally, and socially for a surrogacy journey.
Beyond these criteria, surrogates should also be kind, honest, responsible, flexible, and willing to go through the many steps of the process. Even if you have always enjoyed being pregnant, the surrogacy process still entails a lot of time, effort, and physical and emotional sacrifice. Brownstone will be there for you every step of the way, but we want to make sure you are fully informed and truly ready at the outset.
Brownstone’s requirements:
- You are between 21 and 42 years old
- You have a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 32
- You have had full-term, uncomplicated pregnancies
- You have had between 1 and 5 deliveries, no more than 3 c-sections, and are raising (or have raised) the child(ren)
- You have delivered a child within the past 10 years
- You are a citizen or legal permanent resident of the U.S.
- You live in a state where surrogacy is legal (i.e. not Nebraska, Louisiana, or Michigan)
- You do not smoke or vape or have a history of drug or alcohol abuse
- You are not being treated for or on medication for serious depression or anxiety, or another psychological disorder
- You are willing to travel for the IVF process
- You are willing to take daily injections for more than 10 weeks
- You are financially stable and do not receive government cash assistance
- You have the support of your family including, if applicable, your partner or spouse.
Without our amazing surrogate, my husband and I would not be dads. It’s obvious, but also so profound. And one of the things that inspired me to start Brownstone was my frustration with how frequently surrogates feel like agencies treat them like a number or cater more to the parents. At Brownstone, we work hard to provide true support to our surrogates.
– Jarret Zafran, Founder and Executive Director
What Do Surrogates Earn?
It depends a bit on a surrogate’s particular situation, but most surrogates can expect $50,000 – $70,000 in pure take-home compensation, not including thousands more in fees and allowances meant to compensate them for specific milestones, procedures, or expenses. You would also receive additional support and benefits like mental health counseling, life insurance, and gifts.
Brownstone’s compensation and support is generous—one of the most generous in the industry—but if you are not motivated to help others build their families, the pay alone may not be “worth it.”
Who Do Surrogates Help?
The surrogacy experience is quite intimate. Throughout the process outlined below and elsewhere, surrogates work closely with their agency and with their intended parents. An intended parent could be anyone, but surrogates most frequently carry for:
- A gay male couple or single man
- A single woman or straight couple in which the woman cannot carry a pregnancy or has been advised against carrying because of a medical issue
Surrogates spend more than a year undergoing medical and psychological evaluations and procedures, enduring all of the challenges related to pregnancy and labor, and explaining surrogacy to friends, relatives, and strangers who congratulate them at the supermarket checkout (!). As a result, it’s important to partner with an agency truly available to support you every step of the way and to match with parents with whom you feel comfortable and aligned. Read more about our thoughtful matching process here.
Want To Know More About How This Works?
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