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The Surrogacy Journey in Colorado

Your Guide to Finding or Becoming a Surrogate in Denver, Boulder, and Throughout Colorado

Explore every aspect of the surrogacy journey right here in Colorado. Whether you’re an intended parent hoping to build or grow your family or you’re looking to learn more about becoming a gestational surrogate, you’ve come to the right place at GSHC Surrogacy & Egg Donation

Who Uses a Surrogate?

Intended parents from various backgrounds with various goals explore the option of surrogacy in Colorado. Same-sex couples, single people, and heterosexual couples struggling with fertility, as well as those at elevated risk for pregnancy complications may all pursue surrogacy to achieve their dreams of parenthood.

GSHC is here to help all Coloradans, from the bustling downtown of Denver to the peaks of Colorado Springs to the tiny towns dotting the Rocky Mountains.

Become a Surrogate in Colorado

If you’re considering becoming a surrogate in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, or anywhere else in Colorado, GSHC will guide you through every step of the way. Get in touch with a representative today.

Surrogate Compensation in Colorado: How Much Are Surrogates Paid?

GSHC is proud to provide competitive compensation to the surrogates working with us, honoring the commitment they’ve made and the time and effort required to complete the surrogacy journey.

Whether you’re in Aurora, Boulder, or anywhere else in the Centennial State, base pay typically ranges from $40,000 to $85,000 and depends on a variety of factors, including the specific surrogacy contract and prior surrogacy experience. This base pay is split into 10 equal installments, beginning once you become pregnant. Any remaining base compensation will be paid off about 15 days post-delivery, so surrogates can feel secure throughout the entire process.

In addition to base pay, extra compensation will also be provided to cover:

  • Insurance premiums
  • Prescription copays
  • Maternity clothing
  • Travel and transportation reimbursement
  • Housekeeping costs
  • Milestone payments (medication compliance, embryo transfer, confirmation of fetal heartbeat)
  • $250,000 life insurance policy
  • Legal counsel
  • Any special requirements laid out in the surrogacy contract
Learn More About Surrogate Compensation

Surrogate Requirements in Colorado

GSHC maintains specific criteria to ensure the safety and well-being of the surrogate as well as the baby, including:

  • Age 21–38
  • Have had at least one child of your own
  • Good overall health, BMI of 31 or lower
  • Three or fewer C-sections
  • Five or fewer previous pregnancies
  • Financial stability, no government assistance

Whether you live in Colorado Springs, Boulder, or anywhere else in Colorado and you meet these criteria, get in touch with GSHC today to learn more about becoming a surrogate.

Learn More About Surrogate Requirements

Become a Surrogate in Colorado

If you’re considering becoming a surrogate in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, or anywhere else in Colorado, GSHC will guide you through every step of the way. Get in touch with a representative today.
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Find a Surrogate in Colorado

If you’re an intended parent in Aurora, Colorado Springs, or anywhere else in Colorado and you’re looking for the perfect surrogate, reach out to GSHC. We’ll discuss your specific needs, answer any questions you may have, and help pair you up with the surrogate who’s just right for you.

How Much Does Surrogacy Cost in Colorado?

Surrogacy costs in Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs, or elsewhere in the Centennial State can vary widely, based on a range of factors, including:

  • Base compensation, allowance, and milestone fees for the surrogate
  • Childcare and housekeeping
  • Screening fees
  • Insurance fees
  • Medical expenses
  • Agency fees
  • Legal fees
Learn More About Surrogacy Costs

How to Find a Surrogate in Colorado

So you’ve decided you want to use a surrogate in Denver, Colorado Springs, or elsewhere in Colorado, and you’re ready to make your match. This is a crucial step in your surrogacy journey and requires important deliberation.

GSHC will guide you through the surrogate matching process, where intended parents discuss the personality, values, and other preferences important to them as they review profiles of potential surrogates. Then they’ll meet with a prospective surrogate to review both parties’ expectations and boundaries for the surrogacy process. GSHC strives for maximum compatibility between surrogates and intended parents to build trust and confidence in the surrogacy process and to eliminate surprises along the way.

When both sides are happy with the match, the intended parents’ attorney will draft a comprehensive surrogacy contract to outline the rights, responsibilities, and expectations for all parties involved. The surrogate will review this draft with her own attorney and will be given the opportunity to ask questions or request changes.

Using an Egg Donor and Surrogate in Colorado

Colorado is a very surrogacy-friendly state, with local laws that help facilitate growing your family through gestational or traditional surrogacy, egg donation, and other fertility treatments.

GSHC serves as both a surrogacy and egg donor agency, creating connections between intended parents and egg donors throughout Colorado, from Denver to Colorado Springs. This integrated approach ensures comprehensive support and guidance for individuals or couples embarking on this special journey.

Searching for an egg donor? Register for access to our egg donor database.

LGBTQ+ Surrogacy in Colorado

LGBTQ+ couples can pursue surrogacy in Colorado. Whether you’re in Denver, Aurora, or anywhere else in Colorado, state laws do not discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity, ensuring equal access to surrogacy arrangements for all.

Find a Surrogate in Colorado

Ready to take the first step toward becoming a parent? GSHC Surrogacy & Egg Donation works with surrogates from Denver, Boulder, Aurora, and everywhere else in Colorado. Start your surrogacy journey in Colorado today.
Find a Surrogate

Surrogacy Laws in Colorado

Colorado is a surrogacy-friendly state, as no state laws prohibit surrogacy. Historically, the courts have been extremely friendly to intended parents building their families through surrogacy. Once a surrogate becomes pregnant, the intended parents typically apply for a pre-birth parentage action. The court issues this order so the delivery hospital will use the intended parents’ names on the birth certificate. If the intended parents’ home country requires a post-birth parentage order, Colorado courts will issue this as well; post-birth orders are similar to pre-birth orders, except that they are obtained after birth.

While specific surrogacy requirements differ slightly between fertility agencies, under state law, all surrogates in Colorado must be physically and mentally healthy enough to carry a pregnancy to term, be at least 21 years old, and have previously given birth to at least one child. The surrogate must also be represented throughout the process by a Colorado attorney.

Agency requirements typically include some of the following:

  • Age 21–40
  • At least one previous successful pregnancy
  • History of complication-free pregnancies
  • BMI range of 19–33
  • Smoke- and drug-free

Typically, candidates must also submit to background checks and psychological screenings, must be a permanent U.S. resident, and must not rely on financial assistance from the government.

Colorado has long been a surrogacy-friendly state, but it only codified some of the longstanding best practices used by Colorado lawyers into law in 2021, in the Gestational Surrogacy Agreement Act. The Act helps ensure that Gestational Carrier Agreements – the contracts drafted by legal representatives for both intended parents and prospective surrogates – protect the rights of all parties, including the new child. These agreements also establish expectations, boundaries, compensation, and other needs specific to your surrogacy journey.
Parentage in Colorado is established before delivery through pre-birth orders, as the intended parents apply for parentage orders once the surrogate becomes pregnant. These orders then allow the delivering hospital to use the intended parents’ names on the birth certificate. In some cases, post-birth orders are also required, which are similar to pre-birth orders but obtained after delivery. Very few agencies handle traditional agencies, in which the surrogate is genetically related to the baby, and courts may favor the surrogate in these cases, leading to a more complex and involved process in establishing parental rights for the intended parents.
Colorado is very friendly to same-sex/LGBTQ+ couples pursuing surrogacy, as state law doesn’t discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
In Colorado, surrogates receive an initial base pay, which is determined at the outset of the process and outlined explicitly within the surrogacy contract. Base pay is determined by a range of factors, including pregnancy history, prior surrogacy experience, any special medical needs, and any unique requirements detailed in the surrogacy contract. Base pay is supplemented by regular allowances and payments made throughout the pregnancy to cover costs such as insurance premiums, travel expenses, and maternity clothing.
Both intended parents and surrogates (as well as donors) are required to obtain separate legal representation when entering into a third-party reproductive agreement in Colorado. This helps protect all parties’ rights and clearly establishes requirements.

The GSHC Surrogacy Process in Colorado

GC Step 1. Application & Screening
Surrogate candidates in Colorado apply to GSHC and undergo medical, psychological, and financial screenings to evaluate their ability to embark on the surrogacy journey.
IP Step 1. Initial Consultation
Coloradans considering building their families through surrogacy reach out to GSHC to learn more about the surrogacy process and understand their options.
GC Step 2. Profile Creation
Candidates who’ve successfully completed our comprehensive screening process then create a profile in our database in which they outline their personal background and motivations for surrogacy.
IP Step 2. Seeking a Surrogate
GSHC will help intended parents review these profiles to select the prospective surrogate who best matches their values and specific preferences.
Step 3. Making a Match
Finally, these tracks converge as surrogate and intended parents are matched. From this point on, the parties are engaged in a collaborative process to bring a new child into the world, and they’ll work together and support each other every step of the way.
Step 4. Legal Contracts
The intended parents’ legal representative draws up a surrogacy contract to establish a framework for the agreement, which is then reviewed by the surrogate and her own legal representative. These contracts determine every aspect of the process, from surrogate compensation to prenatal care to future contact between the parties after delivery.

These contracts are essential for setting expectations from the outset and eliminating surprises along the way.

Step. 5 Medical Procedures
Once contracts are signed, the surrogate begins hormone treatments to prepare her body for pregnancy. Meanwhile, the intended parents undergo fertility treatments to create embryos, which are then transferred to the surrogate’s uterus.

In Colorado, intended parents typically apply for parentage rights upon confirmation of the surrogate’s pregnancy.

Step 6. Prenatal Care
The surrogate will undergo regular medical checkups with fertility specialists and obstetricians throughout the pregnancy, to monitor both her health and the baby’s. These prenatal appointments involve ultrasounds and other screenings as well as bloodwork to ensure the pregnancy is progressing smoothly.

Surrogates take fertility medication and see a fertility provider for these checkups for the first 10 weeks, after which they begin to see the OB/GYN of their choice.

Step 7. Birth
As the pregnancy approaches delivery, the surrogate is brought to the hospital chosen in the surrogacy contract to prepare to give birth. OBGYNs, nurses, and other healthcare personnel provide comprehensive care, and intended parents are usually present for labor and delivery.

The surrogacy contract signed at the beginning of the process stipulates these conditions, including things like whether the surrogate undergoes vaginal delivery or a cesarean section.

Step 8. Parental Rights & Post-Delivery Support
Intended parents apply for pre-birth parental establishment orders well before delivery, so they have parental rights immediately upon birth and can use their names on the birth certificate. As stipulated in the surrogacy contract, the intended parents provide support for the surrogate as she recovers from delivery.
Step 9. An Exciting New Chapter
Here the surrogacy process formally ends and the new parents’ new chapter is only beginning! GSHC is so proud to facilitate this incredible journey and to have helped so many families in Colorado grow through surrogacy.

Depending on the specifics of the surrogacy contract, the parents and surrogate may continue to have a relationship for years to come.

Become a Surrogate in California Find a Surrogate in California

Surrogacy in Colorado FAQ

Colorado is a historically friendly state for surrogacy, with inclusive state laws and a recently passed Gestational Surrogacy Act (2021), making it the perfect place to embark on this incredible journey. Regardless of your sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status, Colorado welcomes intended parents and prospective surrogates alike.
A surrogacy contract, or a gestational carrier agreement, is the legal contract drawn up by the intended parents and their lawyer, then reviewed and agreed upon by the surrogate and her own lawyer. The surrogate will have the opportunity to suggest any changes, and all parties will align on the contract before signing. This contract establishes the parameters for the surrogacy partnership, outlining the responsibilities of both parties and establishing expectations at the outset. Surrogacy contracts determine details including base pay, which hospital to use, and whether the parties will stay in contact after delivery.
In Colorado, intended parents file a pre-birth order when their surrogate becomes pregnant. A court issues this parentage order well before delivery, so the intended parents can use their names on the child’s birth certificate. Surrogates and donors are never legally designated as the parents. In some cases, such as when the intended parents’ home countries have requirements of their own, a post-birth order may also be issued; this is similar to a pre-birth order but is obtained after delivery of the child.
Yes, traditional surrogacy is legal in Colorado, having been validated by the Colorado Court of Appeals. The legal process for establishing parentage in these situations may be more involved. Because the surrogate is genetically related to the baby, traditional surrogacy is much more emotionally complicated and is therefore much less common, and most agencies do not work with traditional surrogates.
Surrogates in Colorado are compensated with an initial base pay, determined based on prior experience and pregnancy history, typically ranging from $40,000 to $85,000. This base pay is supplemented by regular payments throughout the pregnancy to cover insurance premiums, travel and maternity clothing costs, and other expenses incurred along the way.
In Colorado, surrogacy is governed by the Colorado Surrogacy Agreement Act (2021), which requires surrogates to be at least 21 years old and have given birth at least once previously. Surrogates are required to undergo medical and mental health evaluations and must have their own legal representation from a Colorado attorney.
Surrogates in Colorado are required to undergo basic physical and mental health evaluations to ensure their suitability for the surrogacy process. Medical screenings and bloodwork help ensure no communicable diseases can be transferred to the newborn, while psychological evaluations help ensure surrogates are emotionally and mentally ready for the surrogacy journey ahead.

Why GSHC: About Our Surrogacy Agency

GSHC Surrogacy Agency is an internationally recognized, full-service boutique agency dedicated to helping families grow through surrogacy and egg donation. With a core ethos centered on a passion for assisted reproduction and family building, we prioritize the highest level of service for both intended parents and surrogates. What sets us apart is our unique approach — 100% of our Case Managers are former surrogates themselves, providing unparalleled empathy and expertise. Our extensive pool of surrogates, close relationships with elite professionals, and commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusivity ensure a seamless journey toward parenthood. With GSHC Surrogacy Agency, you’re in safe hands every step of the way. Learn more about how we can help facilitate your surrogacy journey in California.

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