What does it mean that Dakota Surrogacy is a faith-based agency?
Our faith shapes how we think, serve, and operate. We believe every person involved in a surrogacy journey should be treated with dignity, compassion, honesty, and respect. We view the opportunity to help build families as both a blessing and a profound responsibility, and we strive to approach every decision with integrity, humility, prayerful consideration, and genuine care.
Our faith-based values guide the relationships we foster, the ethical standards we uphold, and the support we provide. We welcome individuals and families from many different backgrounds while remaining grounded in the principles that guide our agency.
How much is a gestational surrogate compensated?
In recognition of the significant commitment of time, energy, and personal sacrifice involved, base compensation for a first-time gestational surrogate generally begins at $50,000. Experienced surrogates may receive higher base compensation. The final amount is determined before matching and may vary based on factors such as prior surrogacy experience and the individual circumstances of the journey.
In addition to base compensation, a surrogate may receive separate allowances, reimbursements, and payments for qualifying procedures or circumstances as outlined in her gestational carrier agreement. Complete details will be reviewed during your consultation and before you agree to a match. Visit our Surrogate Compensation Packages page to learn more.
How does Dakota Surrogacy screen and qualify gestational surrogates?
Dakota Surrogacy follows the screening and counseling recommendations of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), applicable fertility-clinic policies, and the individualized recommendations of qualified medical and mental health professionals.
Candidates must satisfy our preliminary requirements and complete a comprehensive screening process. This may include detailed questionnaires, personal interviews, criminal background checks, pregnancy and medical-record reviews, insurance evaluation, psychological assessment, and an evaluation of the candidate’s home environment and support system.
We seek compassionate, dependable women who are motivated by a sincere desire to serve another family and help intended parents experience the blessing of parenthood. Meeting our preliminary requirements does not guarantee acceptance or medical approval. The intended parents’ fertility clinic makes the final medical determination. To review our qualifications, please visit our Surrogate Requirements page.
How does Dakota Surrogacy match a gestational surrogate with intended parents?
We believe a successful surrogacy journey begins with a thoughtful, mutual match built upon trust, respect, open communication, and shared expectations. Rather than relying on photographs and brief descriptions alone, we personally get to know our surrogates and intended parents before recommending a potential match.
We consider personalities, values, communication styles, geographic location, desired level of contact, compensation expectations, views regarding prenatal testing, termination and selective reduction, expectations for the pregnancy and delivery, and the type of relationship each party hopes to build.
When we identify prospective intended parents whom we believe may be compatible with you, we will provide you with their profile for review. If the interest is mutual, we will arrange a match meeting so everyone can become better acquainted, ask questions, and openly discuss expectations. A match moves forward only when both you and the intended parents independently feel comfortable and confident proceeding together.
What if I do not feel comfortable with the intended parents you introduce to me?
You are never required to accept a match. You will have an opportunity to review the intended parents’ profile, meet them, ask questions, and carefully consider whether the relationship feels right for you and your family.
Both you and the intended parents must voluntarily agree to the match before the journey moves forward. Declining a potential match will not result in pressure or criticism. We would rather take additional time to identify a compatible match than encourage anyone to enter a relationship that does not feel comfortable or appropriate.
Why must a gestational surrogate have previously given birth?
Consistent with ASRM recommendations, a gestational surrogate should have completed at least one healthy, uncomplicated term pregnancy. Previous pregnancy and childbirth experience helps ensure that a candidate understands the physical, emotional, and practical realities of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum recovery. Her records also provide the fertility clinic with important information when evaluating whether another pregnancy may be medically appropriate.
Candidates should also be actively parenting at least one child. This is important because a gestational surrogate must understand that the child she carries will leave the hospital in the care of the intended parents. A qualified mental health professional will help evaluate her understanding of this arrangement and her emotional readiness for the journey.
How involved will Dakota Surrogacy be throughout my journey?
Dakota Surrogacy will guide and support you from your initial application through screening, matching, fertility treatment, pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum recovery. We will answer your questions, coordinate appointments and professional services, assist with travel and reimbursements, facilitate communication, and help you understand what to expect at each stage.
We will also coordinate your independent legal representation, psychological services, insurance review, escrow arrangements, fertility-clinic requirements, and birth planning. Although we cannot replace your medical providers, attorney, or mental health professional, we will remain a consistent source of support and help connect you with the appropriate professional whenever a question or concern arises.
Our faith calls us to serve with compassion, honesty, patience, and integrity. We want every surrogate to feel respected, informed, appreciated, and genuinely cared for throughout the entire journey.
How involved will the intended parents be during the journey?
The intended parents’ involvement will depend on everyone’s preferences, geographic location, schedules, and the relationship established during matching. Most intended parents want to receive regular updates, communicate consistently, attend important appointments when possible, and participate in planning for the birth.
Communication expectations and appropriate boundaries should be discussed before matching and addressed during the psychological consultation and legal-contract process. Your comfort, medical privacy, and personal boundaries matter, while the intended parents also need meaningful information about the pregnancy and their child.
Dakota Surrogacy will help everyone establish a respectful communication plan that feels appropriate and sustainable. Many surrogates and intended parents develop close relationships that continue long after delivery, although every relationship is unique.
What happens if the embryo transfer is unsuccessful?
Even with careful screening, high-quality medical care, and strict compliance with the fertility clinic’s instructions, an embryo transfer may not result in pregnancy. An unsuccessful transfer is not necessarily caused by anything the surrogate did or did not do.
If a transfer is unsuccessful, the fertility physician will review the cycle with the intended parents and recommend possible next steps. The intended parents will decide whether they wish to pursue another attempt, and you will independently decide whether you are willing and medically cleared to continue. The maximum number of agreed-upon transfer attempts should be addressed in the gestational carrier agreement.
Base compensation generally begins according to the pregnancy-confirmation terms established in the contract. Transfer fees, medication fees, travel reimbursements, and other applicable payments are handled separately and remain payable as provided in the agreement, even if the transfer does not result in pregnancy.
What happens if a medical complication occurs?
Every pregnancy carries potential risks, including complications that cannot always be predicted or prevented. For this reason, candidates undergo extensive medical-record review, psychological evaluation, and fertility-clinic screening before an embryo transfer. You will receive information about the known risks and should carefully consider them with your physicians, mental health professional, independent attorney, and family before deciding to proceed.
The intended parents are responsible for approved surrogacy-related medical expenses as provided in the gestational carrier agreement. If your existing health plan cannot appropriately cover the pregnancy, arrangements may be made for a separate policy or alternative coverage. Insurance availability, exclusions, deductibles, and out-of-pocket responsibilities will be reviewed before treatment begins.
The gestational carrier agreement may also provide additional compensation for specified procedures or complications. A term life insurance policy is typically obtained for your protection, and other coverage—such as disability, bed-rest, or loss-of-reproductive-organ coverage—may be arranged when applicable. Coverage and compensation are subject to the terms and limitations of the applicable contract and insurance policies.
Dakota Surrogacy will help coordinate communication, benefits, reimbursements, and practical support if a complication occurs, while medical decisions remain between you and your treating healthcare providers.
What if the intended parents refuse to assume responsibility for the child after birth?
Intended parents enter a surrogacy arrangement with the legal obligation and intention to assume care and responsibility for their child, regardless of the child’s sex, health, genetic condition, disability, or the circumstances of the birth. These responsibilities are addressed in the gestational carrier agreement and parentage documents.
Before treatment begins, the parties must have separate legal representation, execute a comprehensive agreement, and establish any required estate-planning or guardianship provisions. The parentage process is then completed according to the laws of the applicable state.
Although abandonment by intended parents is extraordinarily uncommon, your independent attorney will explain the contractual protections and applicable legal procedures. If an emergency arose, Dakota Surrogacy would immediately involve the attorneys and appropriate authorities to protect the child and ensure that you were not improperly assigned parental or financial responsibility.
What does the fertility-treatment process involve?
The intended parents’ fertility clinic will create an individualized treatment calendar for you. Depending on the protocol, you may take medications that synchronize your cycle and prepare the uterine lining to receive an embryo. These may include estrogen, progesterone, birth-control medication, or other medications administered by pill, patch, suppository, or injection. Some clinics may use a natural or modified-natural cycle involving fewer medications.
You will complete bloodwork and ultrasound monitoring so the clinic can evaluate your hormone levels and uterine lining. When the clinic determines that your body is appropriately prepared, an embryo will be transferred into your uterus through a thin catheter under ultrasound guidance. The procedure is generally brief and usually does not require anesthesia.
The medications prepare the uterus for implantation; they do not increase your fertility or cause your eggs to be used. You will continue following the clinic’s medication, activity, travel, and testing instructions after the transfer.
Is it better to work with an agency or pursue an independent journey?
Every prospective surrogate should carefully research both agency-supported and independent arrangements before deciding what is right for her. An independent journey may offer more direct control, but it also requires the surrogate and intended parents to identify, evaluate, and coordinate the necessary medical, psychological, legal, insurance, escrow, and case-management professionals themselves.
Working with Dakota Surrogacy provides a consistent point of guidance throughout the journey. We coordinate screening, thoughtful matching, independent legal representation, psychological services, medical requirements, insurance review, escrow administration, travel, reimbursements, communication, birth planning, and postpartum support.
We also help clarify expectations and address concerns before they become misunderstandings. Our role is not to control the relationship but to help everyone communicate openly, make informed decisions, and move through the journey with appropriate professional safeguards. We approach that responsibility with the honesty, compassion, and servant-minded care reflected in our faith-based values.
How long does it take to be matched?
Matching time varies for every surrogate. It depends on factors such as location, medical and pregnancy history, fertility-clinic requirements, insurance coverage, compensation expectations, availability for treatment, communication preferences, and alignment with intended parents on important pregnancy-related decisions.
Some surrogates may be introduced to compatible intended parents shortly after completing the screening process, while others may wait longer for the right match. We do not guarantee a specific matching timeframe. We will communicate honestly about available opportunities and will not encourage you to accept a match simply to move the process forward quickly.
Will my eggs be used?
No. A gestational surrogate does not contribute her eggs and has no genetic relationship to the child she carries. The embryo is created using eggs and sperm from the intended parents, qualified donors, or a combination of those sources before being transferred into the surrogate’s uterus.
This is different from traditional surrogacy, in which the surrogate’s own egg is used. Dakota Surrogacy coordinates gestational surrogacy journeys and does not use a surrogate’s eggs to create the embryo she will carry.
How does the compensation and reimbursement process work?
Before fertility treatment begins, the intended parents fund an independently managed escrow or trust account as required by the gestational carrier agreement. Base compensation is then paid in installments according to the pregnancy-confirmation and payment schedule stated in the agreement.
Additional allowances, procedure fees, lost wages, childcare, housekeeping, travel expenses, maternity clothing, and other approved reimbursements are paid according to the contract. Some benefits are paid monthly, while others become payable when a particular procedure, expense, or event occurs.
Your independent attorney will review the compensation schedule with you before you sign the agreement. Dakota Surrogacy will help you understand the reimbursement process, submit documentation when required, and communicate with the escrow administrator if questions arise.
What happens if the baby is diagnosed with a medical condition or the pregnancy ends unexpectedly?
Pregnancy loss and fetal diagnoses can occur even when a surrogate follows every medical instruction. One of the most important parts of our matching process is ensuring that the surrogate and intended parents have openly discussed their values and expectations regarding prenatal testing, serious fetal diagnoses, pregnancy termination, selective reduction, palliative care, and other difficult medical circumstances before agreeing to a match.
The intended parents have the right and responsibility to participate in decisions concerning their child, but the gestational surrogate retains the right to make decisions about her own body and medical care. No agency, intended parent, or private contract can physically compel a surrogate to undergo an abortion, reduction, cesarean delivery, or other medical procedure without her consent. These sensitive issues must be carefully addressed during matching, psychological counseling, independent legal representation, and the contract process.
If a pregnancy ends, you will retain all compensation already earned, and any additional payment will be determined by the gestational carrier agreement. Depending on when and how the pregnancy ends, the contract may provide prorated compensation, full base compensation after a specified gestational milestone, and separate payments for procedures, recovery, or other qualifying circumstances.
Dakota Surrogacy will respond with compassion, coordinate communication and professional support, and help ensure that everyone has access to appropriate medical, psychological, and legal guidance. In moments of uncertainty or loss, our faith-based commitment calls us to care for everyone involved with dignity, grace, honesty, and respect.