Surrogacy Vs. Adoption: Consideration Of Cost

For couples who are unable to have children naturally, there are various means of beginning and/or expanding a family.  The most common of the methods are surrogacy and adoption.  Surrogacy involves one female carrying an embryo to term.  The embryo is developed from the father’s sperm and the biological mother or surrogate’s egg.  Adoption, however, involves the legal relocation of a child to the couple.

When choosing between the two options, there are various considerations to make with cost of the procedure being a large factor.  Of course, it is impossible to place a cost on a child’s life; however, there are various business aspects of both adoption and surrogacy that need to be taken into account.  This article will provide information regarding this matter.

• The Cost Of Adoption

While the financial expenditure of adoption can vary considerably according to the specific case, Adoptive Families Magazine has indicated that the average overall cost of an adoption is between $20,000 and $30,000.  The majority of the international adoptions tend to have an overall cost of approximately $20,000 and above; whereas, newborn domestic adoptions range from anything below $25,000.  Domestic adoption costs will vary according to the state and the agency; furthermore, some adoptive parents may receive subsidiaries or reimbursements for the costs in the form of tax credits, government programs, or employee benefit plans.

• The Cost Of Surrogacy

Despite surrogacy becoming the more popular option in the past few decades, it remains the more costly option dependent on the type of surrogacy chosen.  This means that those couples who have financial concerns should obtain an estimated quote before proceeding with the surrogacy itself.  To determine which type of surrogacy procedure would be most suitable, it is best to what the types of surrogacy actually are.  A traditional surrogacy is a procedure involving the use of the surrogate’s eggs and is typically less costly than a gestational surrogacy.  The gestational surrogacy is more complicated in that it utilizes both sperm and eggs from the biological parents implanting the embryo into the surrogate’s uterus using in vitro fertilization.

Surrogacy proves to be more costly than adoption because it involves the impregnation of an individual and the birth of a child; however, this is also dependent on the couple and specific situation.  Typically, the cost of a surrogacy will include the surrogacy agency fees (if required), the attorney fees for drafting a legal surrogacy agreement, and the surrogate imbursement often paid on a monthly basis throughout the pregnancy.

The surrogate reimbursement compensation amount can account for a variety of things beginning with the number of fetuses involved; therefore, if twins are being carried it is possible for the surrogate to charge a larger fee than if there was only a single child.  The reimbursement compensation amount typically includes medical and hospitalization expenses, maternity clothing, and a transportation allowance.  It should be noted that the amount of medical fees can differ dependent on whether the birth is natural or cesarean section.

Final Words On The Matter

Irrespective of whether one opts for surrogacy or adoption, it is essential that all reasons for the choice are keep in the forefront of the mind.  In either case and at either cost, the chances are that this procedure will bring about a life-changing experience for the new parents.