Surrogates, who had an agency manage their journey, were60% more likely to cite “The desire to help a couple have a family” as Very important versus Independents.
Agency was at 88% versus 53% for Independent and 55% for Independent with IP in lead.
Compensation for being a surrogate was Very important 52% of the time. This was 148% more than Agency and 246% more than Independent with IP in lead.
Adding Important and Very Important equals:
On average, the desire to bear a child was Important 82% of the time.
Personal experience with infertility in my personal network Important 80% of the time for Independent with IP in the lead.
This drops to 64% for Independents and 63% for Agency.
Agency surrogates cited 74% of the time the Calling to help others in need as Very important. This was 35% higher than Independent with IP in lead.
The lowest was Independent at 36%, which is 51% lower than Agency.
Surrogates managed by agencies tend to live less in cities and more in the suburbs and rural settings compared to independent surrogates.
Independent with IP in lead were overwhelming City dwellers 4 out of 5 times.
Upward trend of independent journeys with IPs in the lead.
In the last year, there is a growing number of surrogates who managed their surrogacy independently with the IPs in lead.
Surrogates managed by an agency felt that their immediate family was at least 40% more supportive than Independents.
Most agencies require a strong family network to qualify as a surrogate.
Independent with IP in lead journeys had 30% of family that were unsupportive, which is concerning. Independent journeys also reported 11% as unsupportive.
90% of Independent with IP in the lead cite Termination for major life threatening medical reasons, doctor recommended only, which is about 2x the rate of Agency and Independent.
Surrogates managed by an agency were more likely to have “Termination at IP discretion” stance at 44%.
Independent with IP in lead are most likely to be vaccinated at 75%.
Surrogates in general are vaccinated at a lower rate than the adult US population at 67% versus 79.1% of the US population adult population who completed the primary series*.
Agency managed journey match times were the fastest (Less than 3 months). Agency was 38% faster than Independent and 88% faster than Independent with IP in lead.
Matches for Agency were completed 78% of the time within 6 months.
In contrast, it was 58% for Independent and 60% for Independent with IP in lead for matches completed within 6 months.
Agency managed journeys had the highest single transfer success rate of 69%.
The success rate jumps to 91% after two attempts.
This could be attributed to the fact that egg donation is more prevalent in agency journeys, which have higher embryo quality.
Surrogates who managed their journey with an Agency, are the most open-minded when it comes to types of IPs they would work with.
In particular, Agency is 113% and 164% more willing to work with a Same sex couple than Independent and Independent with IP in lead, respectively.
Agency managed surrogates are 5x to 10x more likely to have worked with same sex couples.
On the other hand, independent surrogates worked more often with Single parents.
Independent IPs overwhelmingly carried for Domestic US IPs.
In contrast, close to half, 44%, agency managed surrogates worked with international IPs.
Besides independent surrogate preferences, language and culture barrier may impede the ability to match with international IPs.
Surrogates who used an Agency were the most satisfied with their experience than those who managed their surrogacy independently.
Satisfaction by journey management:
Independent surrogate journey led by IP were the least satisfied by a wide margin.
Surrogates managed by an agency were more satisfied with most aspects of the experience, particularly with the legal aspects, clinic dealings, and IP interactions.
Independent beat out Agency for The birth experience preparation and at time delivery and The post birth and postpartum experience.
Independent with IP in the lead never ranked first in any category.
Large majority, 86%, of surrogates managed by an agency were
satisfied with dealing with their IPs. This is much higher than those
who managed their surrogacy independently.
Only 55% of independent surrogates led by IP had satisfied dealings with IP.
Surprisingly, 10%-15% of independent surrogates reported being unsatisfied with their dealings with IP. This can result in stress, anxietym and burden to the surrogacy journey.
Surrogates managed by an agency were 3x more “Very satisfied” with dealing with the clinic than those who managed their surrogacy independently.
This may be attributed to the fact that agency’s responsibilities include managing all travel and medical appointment arrangements, including dealing with the clinic for medical clearance and transfer.
Surrogates managed by an agency were 168% more “Very satisfied” with dealing with the legal aspects than those who managed their surrogacy independently.
If one does not have a legal background, it can be extremely challenging drafting and redrafting legal documents between parties and with lawyers. For Agency surrogates, this is part of the accountabilities of the company.
Independent were most Satisfied 81% of the time with the birth experience preparation and at time of deliver.
This was followed by Agency 78% of the time and Independent with IP in lead 75% of the time.
Independent surrogates were slightly more satisfied with the post birth and postpartum experience 75% of the time.
Independent with IP in lead was at 65% of the time, and Agency was at 62% of the time.
Overall all Surrogates were satisfied with their compensation.
Those managed by an agency were more 46% more “Very
satisfied” with their compensation than other Independent and Independent with IP in lead.
However, when you add in Satisfied, Independent with IP in the lead goes up to 95% versus 94% for Independent and 85% for Agency.
Independent surrogates reported the highest base compensation at $57,000.
This was followed by Independent with IP in lead at $51,000 and Agency at $45,000 in base compensation.
Surrogates managed by an agency received substantially more benefits.
Surrogates managed by agency received more in ALL categories of additional cash benefits: all bonus instances, maternity clothing, gifts, massage therapy.
Surrogates managed by agency received more non-cash benefits as well in travel expenses, legal services, life insurance.
All surrogates are expecting substantial increases in base compensation ranging from 11% to 31%.
Agency managed surrogates expect the biggest increase, whereas independent surrogates expect a lower increases.
Overall, expected compensations are now more comparable regardless of who manages the surrogacy.
Independent surrogates struggled 2x as much as agency surrogates with post-pregnancy.
Of those that experienced post-pregnancy struggles independent surrogates reported substantially higher rate of challenges on all accounts compared to their agency counterparts.
Of those that reported struggles, 40% of independent surrogates experienced mental health struggles post-pregnancy. Way above the national average of 10%- 20%.
Postpartum depression and anxiety is exceptionally high among Independent surrogates.
Independent surrogates experienced postpartum anxiety 10x and depression 3x more often than their agency surrogate counterparts, respectively.
Independent surrogacy led by IP had the highest % of participants reporting no emotional experiences at 85%.
More than half of Independent surrogates suffered from emotional issues as a result of surrogacy pregnancy.
Independent with IP in lead was the lowest at 31% followed by Agency at 39%.
Surrogates managed by agencies would Definitely consider becoming a surrogate again at 2x to 3.5x higher than independent managed journeys.
But if you add in Probably consider it, then overall all surrogates had a high level of interest in becoming a surrogate again at a 80%+ rate.
