Surrogacy Agency in Texas: Matching, Guidance, and Personal Support
Choosing a Texas surrogacy agency means finding support for the decisions ahead. Intended parents need to understand their fertility options, matching process, costs, and legal route. Women considering becoming surrogates need clear information about screening, pregnancy commitments, compensation, and the support available to them.
At Babytree Surrogacy, our surrogacy agency services bring those pieces together. We coordinate matching, medical and psychological screening, communication with your fertility clinic, and legal arrangements with the appropriate professionals. Our focus is gestational surrogacy, in which the carrier does not provide the egg used to create the embryo.
If you are looking for a surrogacy agency in Texas, start by talking with our Texas contact, Melissa Pepin. We can discuss your goals and the medical and legal questions to resolve before moving forward. A consultation is a starting point—not a guarantee of eligibility, a match, or a pregnancy.
Your Babytree Contact for Texas
Melissa Pepin — Texas Office Manager
Location: El Paso, Texas
Direct line: (760) 953-5218
Email: melissapepin@usababytree.com
Melissa is a former surrogate and brings personal experience to conversations with intended parents and prospective gestational carriers. Contact her to discuss your circumstances, learn about the program, and arrange the appropriate next step with our team.
If you are in Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, or another part of Texas, ask about phone or video consultations and how your location would affect appointments. We do not assume that every screening visit, embryo transfer, or delivery will happen in El Paso. Your clinic, the surrogate’s residence, and the legal plan determine the practical arrangements.
Contact Melissa before planning an in-person visit so the meeting location and appointment time can be confirmed.
Texas Surrogacy Services for Intended Parents
As a full-service surrogacy agency, we help you organize a complex family-building process. We work with you on the personal and practical side of matching while coordinating with medical and legal professionals who make decisions within their own areas of expertise.
Finding a Gestational Surrogate
Matching considers more than geography. Communication style, expectations during pregnancy, appointment travel, and the relationship each person hopes to have all matter. We share profiles and arrange a meeting or video conversation so intended parents and the prospective surrogate can ask questions directly.
Both sides decide whether the match feels right. Medical records still need to be reviewed by the fertility clinic, and the legal requirements of the proposed arrangement need to be addressed. We do not treat mutual interest as a substitute for medical approval or a completed gestational agreement.
IVF, Existing Embryos, and Donor Eggs
Gestational surrogacy uses embryos created through in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Eggs and sperm may come from the intended parents, donors, or a combination. The gestational carrier carries the pregnancy but does not provide the egg and is not genetically related to the baby.
If you already have embryos, tell us where they are stored and which fertility clinic oversees them. Your clinic reviews the records, screening requirements, and suitability for transfer to a carrier. It also advises on whether transport or additional testing is needed.
Some intended parents explore surrogacy because carrying a pregnancy is medically unsuitable; others cannot carry a pregnancy themselves. Infertility alone does not establish that a gestational carrier is the right option. Your fertility specialist should explain the treatment choices relevant to your circumstances.
An egg donor may be part of the plan when donor eggs are needed to create embryos. Our egg donation program can be coordinated alongside surrogate matching. Selecting an egg donor, creating embryos, and choosing a gestational surrogate are separate decisions; your medical team explains the treatment options, while your attorney addresses the legal documentation.
Coordination Without Confusing Professional Roles
We help coordinate appointments, communication, and the steps that connect matching, treatment, and legal preparation. Your reproductive specialist directs medical care. Attorneys advise on the agreement and parentage. Insurance professionals review coverage where needed.
Knowing who handles each issue helps you get the right answer. An agency can help organize an embryo transfer, but it cannot prescribe medications, promise an IVF outcome, or decide how a court will apply Texas surrogacy law to your family.
Texas Surrogacy Law: Establish the Legal Route Early
Texas Family Code Chapter 160, Subchapter I sets out a framework for gestational agreements and court validation. It is not enough to assume that every signed surrogacy contract has the same legal effect. Eligibility, the agreement, medical evidence, residency, and the court’s review all need to be considered.
The statutory framework requires that the intended parents be married to each other. It also provides that the gestational mother’s eggs cannot be used in the arrangement. A Texas attorney experienced in assisted reproduction should explain how the statutory conditions apply to your particular family before you commit to a match or treatment plan.
If you are single, unmarried, or unsure whether your circumstances fit the statute’s wording, obtain individualized advice at the outset. Do not assume that another family’s experience establishes the legal route available to you.
Court Validation and Parentage Are Distinct Steps
The law describes a proceeding to validate a gestational agreement. It also describes steps after the child’s birth to confirm parentage and obtain a birth certificate naming the intended parents under a validated arrangement. Signing an agreement and preparing hospital paperwork are not substitutes for completing the required legal process.
Your attorney should confirm the applicable court, residency requirements, signing and filing deadlines, and documents needed before treatment. During pregnancy, discuss what must be provided to the delivery hospital and who will handle notice of the birth and subsequent paperwork. We coordinate communication; we do not guarantee a court order or a particular legal result.
Independent Advice and Medical Decisions
The surrogate should have her own attorney to review compensation, reimbursements, responsibilities, and contingencies. Babytree’s program provides for the surrogate’s independent legal representation to be paid by the intended parents.
Texas law also states that a gestational agreement may not limit the gestational mother’s right to make decisions to safeguard her health or the health of an embryo. Medical consent and health concerns need careful discussion with the treating professionals, not assumptions that an agency or contract can make those decisions for someone.
For the statutory text, see Texas Family Code Chapter 160, Subchapter I. Your attorney should explain the current law and its application to your arrangement.
How the Texas Surrogacy Process Comes Together
The sequence of your journey depends on embryo readiness, screening, matching, and legal preparation. We help you understand the stages and coordinate the people involved without promising that every case will follow an identical schedule.
1. Consultation and Initial Planning
We discuss your goals, location, clinic or embryo arrangements, and expectations for the surrogate relationship. Intended parents can ask about program terms and donor services. Prospective surrogates can ask about requirements, screening, and what participation would involve.
This is also the time to identify legal questions that might affect the arrangement. Ask for an itemized estimate and an explanation of payment milestones before you make a financial commitment.
2. Screening and Matching
Medical screening reviews the prospective carrier’s health and previous pregnancy records. Psychological evaluation addresses emotional readiness, expectations, and the support available during and after pregnancy. The fertility clinic determines medical suitability; completing an application does not guarantee approval.
Matching gives both sides an opportunity to discuss communication, travel, and expectations. Screening and the legal plan need to support the proposed match before it becomes a treatment arrangement.
3. Agreement, Insurance, and Escrow
The intended parents and surrogate obtain separate legal advice and review the agreement. Attorneys address the Texas court-validation process and any other requirements that apply. Insurance coverage and financial responsibilities should be clarified alongside the contract—not left until a medical bill arrives.
An escrow account helps administer funds for agreed expenses and compensation. Ask who manages the account, when it must be funded, which payments it covers, and how statements and disbursements are handled. Your program terms and agreement should explain those responsibilities.
4. Embryo Transfer and Pregnancy Care
The IVF clinic directs the transfer protocol, medications, and early monitoring. The physician explains potential risks, the treatment plan, and the options if a transfer does not result in pregnancy. Embryo transfer is not a guarantee of pregnancy or live birth.
If pregnancy continues, care moves to the appropriate obstetric provider according to the medical team’s plan. We remain involved in communication and practical coordination while the attorneys address parentage documentation and delivery preparations.
For more detail about our agency workflow, review the Babytree surrogacy process. Ask your coordinator which steps and timelines apply to your Texas arrangement rather than assuming every detail of the general guide applies unchanged.
Surrogacy Costs, Compensation, and Insurance in Texas
A realistic budget separates the services you need from assumptions about how the journey will unfold. Fertility treatment, donor services, travel, and insurance can change the total. Your estimate should reflect the services and arrangements relevant to your Texas journey.
Intended parents should request a written breakdown of:
- Agency services: Matching, coordination, program inclusions, payment milestones, and the terms that apply if a match changes.
- Surrogate compensation: Base compensation, allowances, agreed milestone payments, and expense reimbursements.
- Medical care: Screening, IVF, medications, embryo transfer, and any additional treatment needed.
- Donor services: Egg donation or sperm donation expenses where applicable, including associated screening and legal work.
- Legal work and escrow: Separate attorneys, agreement preparation, court proceedings, parentage paperwork, and account administration.
- Insurance and travel: Coverage review, premiums, exclusions, out-of-pocket expenses, appointment travel, and delivery arrangements.
Understanding Surrogate Compensation
Compensation depends on program terms, location, experience, and the agreement. Prospective Texas surrogates should ask how base compensation differs from reimbursements and payments for specific circumstances. Travel, childcare, lost wages, bed rest, or additional medical procedures should be addressed in writing where applicable.
Do not rely on a single headline amount to understand what you would receive or which expenses would be covered. Review the payment schedule, funding arrangements, and contingencies with your own attorney before signing.
Checking Insurance Coverage Before Treatment
Having health insurance does not automatically mean every surrogacy-related expense is covered. The relevant policies need to be reviewed for pregnancy care, exclusions, deductibles, and other limitations. Intended parents should also plan the baby’s coverage after birth.
Ask which costs remain outside insurance and who is responsible for them. If another embryo transfer or additional pregnancy care is needed, the written cost plan should help you understand the financial implications without assuming that every expense is included in one program fee.
Becoming a Gestational Surrogate in Texas
Surrogacy requires time, medical evaluation, and an informed decision about carrying a pregnancy for someone else. If you are considering becoming a surrogate in Texas, discuss your location, pregnancy history, and support system with our team before committing to appointments or travel.
Surrogate Requirements and Screening
Surrogate requirements include review of previous pregnancies and deliveries, overall health, medications, lifestyle, and factors that could affect another pregnancy. Medical records review and clinic screening determine whether carrying a pregnancy is appropriate for you. Psychological screening explores emotional readiness, communication expectations, and support throughout the journey.
The fertility clinic makes the medical eligibility decision. A diagnosis or a general online checklist should not be used to make that decision without reviewing your individual records. Age and BMI criteria vary by clinic and program; ask which requirements apply to you.
Preparing for the Practical Commitment
Discuss how medical appointments, medication schedules, embryo transfer travel, pregnancy care, and postpartum recovery would fit around work and family. Consider transportation, childcare, and the people who could support you if pregnancy changes your usual routine.
Your medical team should explain potential health risks before you consent. Your attorney should explain the agreement, compensation, expenses, and contingencies. Asking questions is part of preparation; it does not commit you to proceeding with a match.
You can apply to become a surrogate to begin the conversation. Tell your coordinator that you live in Texas so program eligibility, clinic arrangements, and the legal plan can be discussed from the start.
Texas Surrogacy FAQ
Who should I contact about Babytree’s Texas surrogacy services?
Contact Melissa Pepin, our Texas office manager, at (760) 953-5218 or melissapepin@usababytree.com. Our Texas location is listed in El Paso. Contact Melissa to discuss your circumstances and confirm appointment arrangements before visiting.
Is gestational surrogacy recognized under Texas law?
Texas Family Code Chapter 160, Subchapter I provides a framework for gestational agreements and court validation. The framework includes eligibility and procedural conditions, including a requirement that intended parents be married to each other. A Texas attorney should assess your circumstances before you rely on that route.
Can single or unmarried intended parents assume the same legal process applies?
No. The statutory gestational-agreement framework states that intended parents must be married to each other. If you are single or unmarried, obtain individualized Texas legal advice about your options before committing to a match or treatment. We do not guarantee that every family can use the same legal route.
What is the difference between an egg donor and a gestational carrier?
An egg donor provides eggs used to create embryos. A gestational carrier carries a pregnancy after embryo transfer but does not provide the egg. In gestational surrogacy, the carrier is not genetically related to the baby. Egg donation and surrogate matching involve different screening and planning steps.
Can our own fertility clinic participate?
Tell us which clinic you use and whether you have embryos stored there. Your clinic needs to review its requirements for working with a gestational carrier, relevant records, screening, and the proposed treatment. We can discuss coordination, but medical suitability and treatment decisions remain with the clinic.
How are Texas surrogates paid?
Compensation and reimbursements are set out in the agreement, with a payment schedule and terms for applicable expenses or special circumstances. Ask about base compensation, allowances, travel, lost wages, and how funds are administered. Your own attorney should review the arrangement before you sign.
Does a surrogacy agency guarantee pregnancy or a court order?
No. Pregnancy depends on medical factors and treatment outcomes. Court validation and parentage depend on the applicable law, evidence, and proceedings. Agency coordination helps organize the journey but cannot guarantee either result.
Will every appointment take place in El Paso?
Not necessarily. Screening, embryo transfer, monitoring, and delivery arrangements depend on the clinic, surrogate’s location, and legal plan. Ask which visits can be handled locally and which may require travel before making commitments.
Talk with Babytree About Your Next Step
You can start with the questions you have now. Intended parents may want to discuss embryos, finding a surrogate, legal eligibility, or costs. Prospective surrogates may want to understand screening, compensation, and how pregnancy commitments would fit into their lives.
Call Melissa Pepin at (760) 953-5218 or email melissapepin@usababytree.com. We will help you understand the next steps with Babytree and the questions to bring to your fertility clinic and attorney.
This page provides general information, not individualized medical or legal advice.
Medical background: ASRM guidance on gestational carriers.