There are two ways to be a surrogate in D.C., VA and MD:

Traditional surrogacy: You’re the biological mother of the baby you carry in a traditional surrogacy. This type uses your egg and either a donor’s sperm or the intended father’s sperm to create an embryo. Because you’re the biological parent of the child, you must have your parental rights terminated when you give birth so you can place the child with his or her intended parents. This type of surrogacy is rare because of the emotional and legal complications associated with it.

Gestational surrogacy: You’re not biologically tied to the baby at all. This is the more common type of surrogacy in which donor egg and sperm or the egg and sperm of the intended parents are used to create an embryo, which is transferred to you to carry.

To learn more about how to become a gestational surrogate or traditional surrogate, and the differences between those legal processes, contact us now.

In order to become a surrogate mom in MD, VA or DC you must meet a number of requirements. These requirements can vary depending on:

• The type of surrogacy that you choose
• The state you live in
• The surrogacy professional and fertility clinic you choose to work with
• And more

We can help you understand the requirements of becoming a surrogate mother in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

 Contact us now for more information.

There are three ways that you can search for intended parents when you want to be a surrogate mother for a family:

Independent Search: Becoming a surrogate without an agency is also sometimes called being a private surrogate. With this method, you would search for intended parents through family or friends, networking, advertising or word-of-mouth. We can help you screen the potential intended parents.

Attorney-Owned Program: These matching services are owned by attorneys, who represent both the surrogate and the intended parents through the surrogacy process. The surrogate is only independently represented during the legal contract phase.  Otherwise, she is working with the intended parents’ attorney, who is facilitating the process. We are not an attorney-owned surrogacy program. We represent one party in the legal surrogacy process, and we do not provide matching services.

Non-Attorney-Owned Program: this type of surrogacy program helps you search for and match with intended parents. This method also screens potential intended parents for you prior to being matched. Both parties have their own separate legal representation, so you can retain us as your legal counsel from the beginning. These programs are sometimes referred to as surrogacy centers or surrogacy agencies, but keep in mind that there is currently no licensing authority for these types of surrogacy programs.

We can help guide you through the MD, VA or DC surrogacy process and counsel you to find the method of search you feel is best for you. Contact us now to learn about the different ways to find intended parents or become a surrogate.

If you have completed all the steps above and you’ve found potential intended parents to become a surrogate for, it’s time to create a surrogacy plan.

In this stage, we’ll work with you to draft and negotiate legal contracts that outline what you want to happen in your surrogacy process, including parental rights, custody, location of delivery, choice of law, future contact, health insurance, medical decisions, payment of medical bills, liability for medical insurance and complications, compensation (if allowed), lost wages (if allowed), legal fees, child care, housekeeping, maternity clothes, life insurance, information about medical history, doctors’ visits and the participation of the parties throughout the process.  

This is done to protect your best interests and to ensure a smooth pregnancy and birth. There are many moving parts when you carry a baby for someone else, but we have the experience to see you through it successfully so you can have the surrogacy journey you want. You should always be represented separately from the intended parents because sometimes you’ll have opposing wishes in the surrogacy process or an issue will arise and you'll need independent advice to resolve it. We’re here to advocate for you and navigate these contract negotiations on your behalf.

When you contact us, we’ll discuss decisions you potentially need to make in your surrogacy plan and how you might want to deal with those decisions. (For example, you will need to determine how you would feel about becoming pregnant with multiples.)Then, we draft those wishes into your contract so you’re legally protected.

To learn more about the process to be a surrogate mother in VA, MD and DC, contact us, and we'll walk you through the surrogacy planning process.

Once your surrogacy contract has been finalized, the medical process of surrogacy can begin.

When becoming a gestational surrogate carrier, this means taking fertility hormones in preparation for the embryo transfer. Based on your surrogacy agreement with the intended parents, there may be a number of attempted transfer cycles until a healthy pregnancy is confirmed. From there, you would simply attend routine prenatal checkups like you would with any pregnancy.

Depending on the type of relationship you established in your contract with the intended parents, you may communicate with them about the progress of your pregnancy. If distance and your contract permit it, the intended parents may attend some of your key medical appointments as well as the birth.

We’ll walk you through any post-birth legal steps that might be needed to transfer parental rights to the intended parents. These legal processes can vary depending on the state in which you live and the type of surrogacy you complete.