Whether you’re ready to start a family through surrogacy or you’re interested in becoming a surrogate, the process can seem confusing and overwhelming. At Family Source Consultants, we understand how intimidating the large amount of information about surrogacy can be.
We’re ready to answer your questions about surrogacy in Illinois every step of the way and lead you through the process to make it as easy as possible.
The Benefits of Surrogacy in Illinois
Some states are better for surrogacy than others, and Illinois happens to be one of the best states for surrogacy in the nation. Illinois law recognizes and clearly defines surrogacy to protect both the intended parents and the surrogates.
One great benefit of Illinois surrogacy is the simplified legal process of becoming parents through a surrogate. The Gestational Surrogacy Act of 2005 lets the Intended Parents’ names be put on the birth certificate right away so they become legal parents at the child’s birth instead of having to go to court afterward to handle those details.
We Know Illinois Law
We operate in other states and handle surrogacies for international Intended Parents, but we’re a Chicago-based agency. We also have an office in Joliet and have been operating in Illinois since 2007, so we understand Illinois law and the best way to handle the legal details in the state.
We work with some of the best reproductive attorneys in Illinois and the United States. Whether you live in Illinois or live elsewhere and want a surrogate in the state because Illinois is so welcoming to surrogate motherhood, we can help make the process easy.
We’re Aligned with Illinois Medical Professionals
We refer our Intended Parents to the best reproductive endocrinologists in the best fertility and IVF clinics in Illinois and throughout the United States. We can also refer both Intended Parents and surrogates to top psychologists to help you care for your mental health and help you manage your concerns and the emotions surrogacy can bring.
We’re Local
Whether you want a Chicago surrogate, you live in one of Illinois’ other biggest cities like Springfield, or you live in one of Illinois’ charming small towns, we at Family Source Consultants can find a surrogate near you and help you start your journey.
Gestational Surrogacy in Illinois
In gestational surrogacy, the donated egg does not come from the surrogate. The egg can come from the Intended Mother or another egg donor.
Unlike traditional surrogacy where the surrogate donates her egg, gestational surrogates have no genetic connection to the child. At Family Source Consultants, we only focus on gestational surrogacy.
With gestational surrogacy, the Intended Parents’ names go on the birth certificate immediately, and there’s no genetic link with the surrogate that might otherwise allow her to challenge the Intended Parents’ rights.
We handle gestational surrogacies for Intended Parents in Illinois and around the world.
The Surrogacy Process in Illinois
In the state of Illinois, you can choose to find a surrogate on your own and handle the surrogate process independently, or you can use an agency like ours.
If you choose to go through the surrogacy process independently, you’ll have to navigate the legal aspects and medical aspects on your own. You’ll need a lawyer specializing in reproductive law to help you handle the legal details.
You’ll also need to do a lot of research about contracts, legal requirements, what to look for in a surrogate, medical requirements, and many other things.
The Best Surrogacy Agency for You
The process is a complicated one that we can make easier. By choosing Family Source Consultants as your agency, you’ll get our 16+ years of experience handling Illinois surrogacies and helping Intended Parents realize their dream.
The support of an agency like ours that will handle the details for you can make the complex journey of surrogacy easier and less stressful. Intended Parents need to find an agency they’re comfortable enough with to ask all their questions and address their concerns. We’re confident that we can be that agency for you.
In addition to offering a clear explanation of the costs involved and the process, agencies can bear the burden of the more tedious parts of becoming parents through a surrogate. Instead of worrying about the legalities and logistics of surrogacy, you can focus on your child and your impending parenthood to enjoy the process much more.
Finding a Great Egg Donor
If you need an egg donor, we can help you find a match who embodies the qualities you’re looking for. A TeamFSC Donor Coordinator will guide you through finding a donor from among our carefully screened donors.
We screen egg donors through a series of personality, social, psychological, and attitude tests. Our specialists record the donors’ health histories and ensure they’re given a full physical exam and assessment, including a pap smear.
We carefully interview prospective donors and run a criminal background check on each one. Whether you want an egg donor Illinois has to offer or the location doesn’t matter, we will help you find the perfect one.
When you choose an egg donor through Family Source Consultants, you’re choosing a donor who has passed all of our screenings and tests. You can rest assured that you’re getting a healthy donor with the traits and personality you want.
Finding the Right Surrogate
When you use an agency like ours, you don’t have to go it alone when it comes to finding a surrogate that’s the perfect fit.
Our Client Relation Managers who have many years of experience ensure that both Intended Parents and surrogates understand the process from start to finish.
Often the choice comes down to a few surrogates, and choosing between them can be difficult. Our Client Relation Managers have all been part of the surrogacy process in some way and can bring their intuition to the table to help you choose.
We have stringent requirements for surrogates that include things like complete health checks including a full medical history and a sign-off from their obstetricians, a criminal background check, extensive personality and psychological testing, and an in-depth interview.
We make sure that all surrogates are mentally and physically healthy, financially stable, and looking forward to pregnancy and helping Intended Parents start or add to their families.
At Family Source Consultants, we’ve made nearly 1,000 successful matches between Intended Parents and surrogates. Our next match could be yours!
Who Can We Help Find a Surrogate?
The reasons for choosing a surrogate can range from infertility to being a same-sex couple or single person who wants a child. At Family Source Consultants, we don’t discriminate based on marital status or sexuality. We help married couples, unmarried partners, and single people find surrogates.
Almost half of the Intended Parents who come to us for help are same-sex couples. Single men and women who want to be parents can also find a surrogate to make their parenthood dreams come true.
How to Start the Surrogacy Process in Illinois
The first step after you’ve decided to pursue surrogacy is to contact the agency you choose for a consultation. We offer a no-cost consultation for Intended Parents to answer your questions and ask questions of you to be sure we’re a good fit.
At this consultation, we’ll fully explain the surrogacy path, ensure you understand the time and cost of surrogacy, and prepare you so you’ll know what to expect every step of the way.
How Much Does Surrogacy Cost in Illinois?
At Family Source Consultants, we know that the cost of surrogacy is one of the biggest questions and uncertainties prospective parents have. The idea of facing unexpected fees and hidden costs can be worrisome, especially in the middle or end of the surrogacy process.
To help you better understand and manage the expense of surrogacy, we offer the Family Source Consultants Fixed-Cost Surrogacy Program.
The cost includes management of the entire surrogacy journey, the legal process, compensation for the surrogate and her expenses, and surrogacy escrow fees. If complications or issues arise that mean you’ll need a new surrogate, the cost of the FSC Fixed-Cost Surrogacy Program also covers unlimited rematching.
Egg donation fees and expenses aren’t included, and some other expenses will be added to the cost of the program, but one base fee keeps the pricing structure simple.
Other expenses involved include $20,000 for a double embryo transfer, insurance for the surrogate and the newborn, fees charged by the fertility clinic, additional surrogate compensation which usually ranges from $5,000 to $15,000, and a fee for international Intended Parents.
If the FSC Fixed-Cost Surrogacy Program isn’t a good fit for you for any reason, we can work with you to create a suitable, customized plan.
Egg Donation Costs in Illinois
Egg donation in Illinois is treated like a simple contracted sale. Illinois doesn’t have specific egg donation laws on the books, so eggs are legally regarded as any item sold via contract.
The cost of the egg donation Illinois contract and process includes:
- Family Source Consultants professional fee – $10,300
- Donor compensation – $8000 to $10,000 per donation
- Donor mental health evaluation – included in agency fee
- Egg donor Illinois contract legal review – included in agency fee
- Preparation of the legal contract for Intended Parents – included in agency fee
- Escrow management service – included in agency fee
- Egg donor insurance – included in agency fee
- AMH Screening for First-Time Donor – included in agency fee
- Travel and incidental expenses – $1,000 to $6,000, though the cost can be higher
The $10,300 fee is payable at the time that you reserve your donor.
The donor compensation expenses start at $8,000 for the first donation, $9,000 for donation number two, and $10,000 each for donations three to six.
The cost of IVF is separate and varies by clinic. The IVF cycle can range from $20,000 to $43,000, though the cost can be higher and may include things like medications and embryo freezing that aren’t covered in the basic fees.
The costs can vary and are subject to change, but these numbers are estimates based on average cases.
In general, the total cost of Illinois surrogacy can range from $120,000 to $200,000+ depending on the individual situation.
Financial Assistance for Intended Parents
If you’re wondering whether you can get financial help to pay for your surrogacy journey, we have good news. You can opt to seek a loan through your bank or other lenders, but we recommend Prosper Healthcare Lending.
Prosper is the premier lender in the surrogacy and fertility industry. They’ve helped over 250,000 people with loans totaling over $3 billion.
The benefits of choosing Prosper Healthcare Lending include coverage of all expenses involved with surrogacy up to $100,000 with a repayment schedule of up to 84 months. You can get an instant decision without a hard pull on your credit for loans less than $35,000.
Choosing a Surrogate Mother in Illinois
You don’t have to try to find the right surrogate on your own. With the help of our support and matching staff, case managers, and Client Relation Managers, you can narrow down the list of potential surrogates based on matching and your personal criteria like personality and appearance.
We understand the choice of both surrogates and egg donors can be a delicate and nerve-wracking process, but we’re here to help. We offer unlimited surrogate matching, and our process is refined to select only the best candidates based on your profile and theirs.
Your information on the profile you’ll fill out when you start the Illinois surrogacy journey will lead us to the person with the right intellect, attitude, and temperament.
Our strict requirements for surrogates that even include psychological testing and assessment for the surrogate’s partner if she has one ensure that your potential surrogates will all be suitable candidates with great outlooks.
In addition to reproductive experts, our staff includes people who have children through surrogacy, former gestational surrogates, and egg donors. They have intimate knowledge of the process, how it feels to go through it, and the joy at the end for everyone, especially the Intended Parents.
Our staff can guide you as you make this monumental decision and celebrate with you once you make the choice and everything proceeds.
TeamFSC is ready to help you start your surrogacy journey by finding the best surrogate to carry your child.
Choosing an Egg Donor
TeamFSC is also prepared to guide you through the egg donor selection process if you need an outside donor. The legal process is simple because there are no egg donor Illinois policies in place. The legal contract for egg donation is treated like any other legal contract with no specific laws regarding the process.
You can focus all your energy on looking through our extensive egg donor database to find the right person. We understand the difficulty involved in finding someone suitable when the decision is so important, and we want to help you make a choice and assuage your fears and worries.
Our egg donor database is filled with women from all ethnic backgrounds, with various interests, personality attributes, and physical characteristics. We don’t judge the criteria you use to select a donor because many people on our staff have been where you are.
You have to base your choice of the person who will provide half your child’s biology on the things that are most important to you.
You can choose to select someone based on their health and physical appearance, their intellect, their talents or gifts, or their personality. We provide extensive information about each donor to help you decide.
The Benefits of Becoming a Surrogate in Illinois
If you’re thinking about becoming a surrogate in Illinois, congratulations! You’ve taken the first step toward helping someone experience the joys of parenthood and enriching your life by providing such a generous service.
The compensation for surrogates is generous, but other benefits include the rewards of bringing a new life into the world and helping Intended Parents start or expand their families.
An Overview of the Illinois Surrogacy Process
Surrogacy is a six-step process:
- Surrogate intake
- Surrogate and Intended Parents matching
- Medical screening
- The legal process
- Embryo transfer
- Pregnancy and birth
We encourage you to contact us at Family Source Consultants to discuss the requirements and compensations you can expect if you’re chosen. We can answer your questions and explain anything about the surrogacy process you don’t understand.
Our staff includes former gestational surrogates who can speak intimately about being a surrogate and who understand your concerns and fears. We’re ready to support you on your journey to become a surrogate in Illinois and help you every step of the way.
Start the Process of Becoming a Surrogate in Illinois
The first step to becoming a surrogate mother is to ensure you meet our surrogate requirements. Make sure you meet these requirements before applying online to save time and disappointment. We don’t make exceptions to these rules no matter how promising a potential candidate might be otherwise.
Our surrogates must:
- Be a United States resident
- Be between the ages of 21 and 42
- Be a healthy non-smoker who doesn’t use illegal drugs or substances
- Have a weight proportionate to her height with a BMI of 33 or less
- Live in an emotionally and financially stable environment without financial government assistance
- Have carried a full-term pregnancy and delivered, and is currently raising or has raised a child
- Not be taking medication for depression or anxiety
- Enjoy being pregnant and have a strong wish to help others start or grow their families
Meeting these requirements doesn’t guarantee you will be accepted as a surrogate, but it’s the first screening step to ensure that you’re a good candidate.
If you meet our requirements, we invite you to fill out our Gestational Surrogate application to take the next step in the process.
Once we review your application and determine that you meet our qualifications, we’ll schedule an intake meeting.
What to Expect in Your Surrogate Intake Meeting
If you intend to be a Chicago surrogate or you live close enough to Chicago or Joliet to meet us in person, we’ll schedule an in-person intake. For those candidates in other areas, we can conduct the intake through a video chat.
During this meeting, members of our team will go over your application with you and discuss every aspect of becoming a surrogate in Illinois, including:
- How much surrogates can expect to be compensated
- Filling out the required documents
- An overview of the matching process
- A background check on you and your partner
- Scheduling psychological tests and screening for you and your partner
- Acquiring your OB and delivery records
- Acquiring your most recent pap smear results
- Acquiring OB clearance forms
- Obtaining insurance information and an explanation of benefits
If all the information you provide fits with our requirements, our team will help you get the documentation you need about your previous pregnancy and birth, as well as other clearance and forms from your obstetrician.
How Much Do Surrogates Earn in Illinois?
Surrogate base compensation in Illinois starts at about $37,000 and extends up to about $45,000. This amount is paid in nine monthly installments that start when your pregnancy is confirmed. As a surrogate, you’ll also qualify for an $800 maternity clothing allowance, and $200 per month to spend any way you wish.
A $500,000 life insurance policy protects the people who depend on you, while we provide legal services, medical billing support, and support group engagement to help you through the pregnancy.
If you require bed rest or otherwise can’t do housework during the pregnancy, you can get an $80 per week housekeeping allowance. Of course, all your medical bills during the process are fully covered.
Other compensations you might receive include an $8,000 fee if you carry multiples, $2,500 if you deliver via C-section, several $500 fees for various things like a canceled cycle or invasive procedure, lost wages if you have to be on doctor-ordered bed rest, and more.
Before you’re pregnant, your travel expenses to and from the IVF clinic will be covered. When you start injectable medications, you’ll receive a $500 stipend, and you’ll get another $750 for the embryo transfer.
The Intended Parents may also reward you in other ways, so it’s impossible to give a specific and final number.
Do Surrogates Get to Choose the Intended Parents?
No surrogate will ever have to enter into an arrangement with Intended Parents they don’t want to for any reason. The matching process is a two-way street: Intended Parents and the surrogate have to feel comfortable with each other and agree.
Our matching is based on profiles, our interviews, and several criteria that help Intended Parents and surrogates find partners in this process that they’re most compatible with. We’ve facilitated almost 1,000 successful matches, so we’re confident that our process will help you and the Intended Parents make a great match.
How Family Source Consultants Supports Illinois Surrogates
We feel so strongly about supporting our surrogates that every match is personally handled by the CEO and President of FSC, Staci Swiderski.
Staci is a former Intended Parent who became a mother through surrogacy. She offers a personal touch, compassion, and understanding because she’s been through the process and understands it in a way that someone who hasn’t been an Intended Parent or a surrogate never could.
After you find a match, our Surrogacy Support Manager, Denise Conner, will contact your case manager and you to make herself available. Denise is a former surrogate and can speak to your questions and concerns with the real-life experience of someone who’s been there.
Why Choose Family Source Consultants for Your Surrogacy Journey?
Members of our team have struggled with fertility, had children through surrogacy, and have been surrogates themselves. We believe in a personal, gentle approach that keeps Intended Parents and Surrogates informed through the entire surrogacy process.
At some agencies, you might be just another number and photo in a book. At FSC, we want to know our Intended Parents and Surrogates and understand what makes them tick so we can ensure the perfect match and a beautiful, fulfilling journey for everyone involved.
We even give our surrogates keepsakes for milestones along the way and celebrate with our surrogates and Intended Parents. We love what we do, and we want to make sure that Intended Parents, and you as a surrogate, love the process, too.
Are You Ready to Learn More About Surrogacy in Illinois?
Here at Family Source Consultants, we’re ready to help you learn about the Illinois surrogacy process, whether you plan to be a Chicago surrogate or you’re downstate. We accept surrogates from almost all states, so don’t let your location stop you from getting more information.
We’re an international surrogacy agency that has helped people all over the United States and around the world to realize their dreams of parenthood. If you’re in Illinois, you can come and see us in person, but don’t hesitate to contact us even if you’re not local or US-based.
All of us at FSC love the surrogacy process. It’s given us children, a sense of pride in helping other people realize their parenting dreams, and has led to wonderful lifelong relationships.
Whether you’re thinking of becoming a surrogate in Illinois or you want to start the process of having a child through surrogacy, let us provide you with the surrogacy information you need to help you start this amazing journey!