| There seems to be a lot of public misconception | | | | Her family and her life is essentially put on hold for |
| when it comes to surrogate mothers and | | | | upwards of a year at a time, in an attempt to assist |
| compensation. | | | | another family start a family of their own. |
| Do women get paid to act as a surrogate mother? | | | | Why shouldn't a surrogate mother be compensated? |
| Yes, in most cases they do. But that does not | | | | It honestly would be very difficult for most |
| detract from the huge sacrifice and gift that | | | | surrogates to be able to make these sort of |
| surrogacy is. | | | | sacrifices on a daily basis for an extended period of |
| A woman who decides to become a surrogate goes | | | | time without the ability to be compensated. |
| through the regular ups and downs of a typical | | | | Part of the problem, and the misconception today is |
| pregnancy, but in addition to that, she is subjected to | | | | what the media has done to inflate the public's |
| many more steps that most women who have had | | | | perception of just how much a surrogate mother is |
| children will never experience. | | | | paid. Reports circulate that surrogate mothers receive |
| When a woman decides to become a gestational | | | | upwards of $50,000-100,000 for becoming pregnant |
| surrogate, she must undergo many invasive tests | | | | for someone else. |
| before the procedure can even begin. She is also | | | | It is simply untrue. |
| required to go on no less than four months worth of | | | | An entire surrogate journey may cost that amount |
| daily and weekly injections, to prepare her body for | | | | of money, but most of it goes to the clinics for doing |
| the pregnancy as well as sustain it. | | | | the embryo transfers and testing, the agency for |
| And if the procedure doesn't work? It all starts over | | | | handling the matching and surrogacy arrangement, |
| again, with more shots, more appointments, and | | | | the lawyers for making sure it is all legal, the |
| more tests. | | | | medications and medical expenses to get the |
| She may be required to miss work, family occasions, | | | | surrogate pregnant and keep her pregnant, and |
| and even place her children in daycare while attending | | | | finally, the surrogate. |
| mandatory doctor's appointments and traveling | | | | Usually a surrogate gets paid much less than any of |
| hundreds of miles for procedures. | | | | the other entities. If you factor in the time a |
| She may end up with multiples: twins, triplets, or | | | | surrogate mother spends for the journey, she makes |
| more, in her attempt to assist another family. This | | | | only a couple of dollars an hour. |
| can cause doctor ordered bed rest for weeks, or | | | | Truthfully, if a surrogate wanted to just "make |
| even months at a time. This may also require her to | | | | money", she'd be better off financially becoming a |
| have surgery to delivery the babies, when she hasn't | | | | customer service sales person at a shop in the mall. |
| previously needed such surgery. | | | | But that is the beauty of the world of surrogacy. So |
| She may be required to pass up a job promotion, or | | | | many women are willing to put their lives on hold to |
| a promotion for her husband, because she is legally | | | | help another family, and compensation is not their |
| unable to leave her state of residence until the | | | | driving factor. |
| surrogacy is completed. | | | | |