Become a Surrogate in Berkeley

City of Berkeley, CA

If there’s one thing to know about Berkeley, it’s that it’s one of the most socially liberal cities in the United States. This is largely due to its large population of college students. The University of California, Berkeley, resides in this area. This university is actually the oldest university in the state of California. The area also has the Graduate Theological Union which is one of the largest institutions for studying religion in the world.

Berkeley was given its name after George Berkeley, an Irish bishop and philosopher. The area was chosen as a site for a new university. Once constructed, the area continued to develop and flourish until its current size today.

Its estimated population in 2018 is 121,643 people. The portion of that number is made up of those between the ages of 18 and 24. This area also has a lot of parks and makes environmental protection a key part of their focus for the future. It also has numerous festivals and events throughout the year.

Because of the young age that makes up Berkeley, it’s a perfect opportunity for those women who have given birth before to consider surrogacy in California. Surrogacy can be a relatively easy way to make a generous amount of money without changing your lifestyle too much.

College students can earn extra money that can be used to pay their tuition, rent, or even just put towards their savings. Even those who aren’t college students can benefit by becoming a surrogate. Yet what is surrogacy and what is involved? Read on to find how you can become a surrogate in Berkeley, California.

Surrogacy in California

The kind of surrogacy that’s used in California is typically gestational. It involves two different processes. IVF, or in-vitro fertilization, is performed by the intended parents. They receive fertility treatments prior to IVF in order to boost their fertility. They then donate their egg and sperm cells to a fertility specialist. The specialist collects and places them in a petri dish. Closer together and without obstructions, the cells are able to find one another with ease and become fertilized. This results in an embryo.

The surrogate mother, meanwhile, is taking fertility treatments to better prepare her body to accept the embryo. In a process called embryo transfer, the embryo is taken from the petri dish and placed inside of the surrogate mother. Embryo transfer is an easy procedure that doesn’t take long. If the body accepts the embryo, it will start to divide and develop into a baby. The process of surrogacy has begun.

Time Commitment

Before you can become a surrogate, however, you first need to determine if you can handle the time commitment that being a surrogate requires. If you happen to be a busy college student, for example, who has little free time for herself, then you might not be prepared to become a surrogate.

Overall, the process of surrogacy can take a full year. Sometimes it can even take two years. The periods of being matched with intended parents, acquiring your medical records, and then receiving fertility treatments can be lengthy. This is especially true if your body needs to continue to have fertility treatments. A healthy pregnancy alone is nine months. At the very least, you should expect to have to devote at least a year to the process.

Compensation in Berkeley, CA

Because it can take so long, you may wonder if being a surrogate is right for you. While there are fantastic emotional rewards for joining a surrogate agency and providing intended parents with a child of their very own, a college student or any other woman needs something that allows them to feed the hungry mouths at their own home.

At our surrogacy agency in California, we offer a generous compensation amount of $50,000. That can easily be a large portion of tuition funds, rent money, or anything else that you need. For those who already work, that extra amount could provide a great cushion for a rainy day. It can also be tucked away for the future of your own children.

The $50,000 is broken down into monthly installments of $4,250. You’re also typically given money based on expenses for the following categories. Note that this is not a complete list.

• Base compensation: $40,000
• Twins/multiples: $5,000
• Monthly allowance: $250
• Experienced Surrogate bonus: $5,000
• Maternity Clothes: $1,000
• Housekeeping: $2,000

If you have a spouse, they can also earn some money. We pay up to 10 days of work pay if they have to miss work in order to take care of you. Experienced surrogates also can acquire a bonus for each surrogate job in the future. Finally, if the intended parents desire a set of twins or multiple children, you can also receive a bonus from that.

For a full explanation of our compensation, feel free to check out our website.

Surrogacy Qualifications

Before you can become a surrogate at our surrogacy agency in California, we need you to meet a few surrogacy qualifications. These are criteria to help determine whether or not a surrogate mother can provide a healthy pregnancy. We focus on a healthy pregnancy for the safety of both the surrogate mother and the surrogate baby.

We first ask that you are a legal resident of the United States. You can also be a legal immigrant. If you happen to live in Berkeley, California, then you easily meet this criterion.

You must also be between the ages of 23 and 38 with a BMI between 19 and 30.

We have a strict non-smoking policy. Our surrogate mothers must be non-smokers, free of any drug addictions, and also free from any alcohol addiction.

One important criterion to meet is that you must be a mother already. Or, at the very least, you must have had at least one successful birth in the past. This entails a pregnancy and birth that didn’t have any complications.

Finally, we ask that our surrogate mothers are financially secure and that they receive a physical and mental evaluation.

Process of Joining Our Surrogate Agency

To join us and the surrogate mothers who make up our ranks, we have a fairly simple process. The first is to complete the online intake form. This is to show us that you surpass the qualifications. You’ll be given the official surrogate application form after that.

Once that form is completed, you’re able to start submitting paperwork to us. We’ll need photos of you and your family. One part that you’ll want to get started quickly is the acquirement of your medical records. This can be a lengthy process. However, it’s necessary in order to prove that you had a successful pregnancy and birth. We’ll need files detailing your pregnancy as well as the birth and your hospital visits.

You’ll also need to have a PAP smear performed.

Finally, your OBGYN will need to send us a clearance letter.

Once all of those steps have been completed, you’ll be able to officially join our ranks.

The Process From There

Once you become a surrogate with us in Berkeley, CA, we’re able to start matching you with intended parents. Sometimes this can be a lengthy process. Once you’re matched, however, a surrogate attorney will meet with you and the intended parents. Together, you’ll come up with the Surrogate Agreement. This is a document that details how you want the birth plan to go. Every aspect of the pregnancy is considered so that you and the intended parents know what is expected of each individual.

With the agreement finalized, you’re able to start the physical part of being a surrogate. While the intended parents start fertility treatments for IVF, you’ll be doing the same for the embryo transfer.

After the embryo is accepted by your body, it will start to grow and develop. You’re officially pregnant! From this point on, you’re able to live your life as you were before. So long as it runs in tandem with the Surrogate Agreement, you’re able to live as you were before. If you’re a college student, you can continue to attend classes, study, and perform well in school. If you work, then you can keep working if you choose to do so.

Once the nine months are over, you will give birth according to the birth plan, and the baby will be delivered to the excited intended parents.