The Surrogacy Journey in Indianapolis, IN

Your Guide to Finding or Becoming a Surrogate in Indianapolis, IN, and Surrounding Communities.

Choosing surrogacy in Indianapolis, IN creates a powerful path to parenthood for hopeful Indiana families, giving vibrant local women the unique chance to help others build their families and make a life-changing impact right in their own community.

At GSHC, we are honored to support surrogates throughout Indianapolis and its surrounding communities, offering expert guidance, personalized care, and one of the most competitive compensation packages in the Midwest. Whether you’re a first-time surrogate or have carried before, our team is committed to walking alongside you every step of the way, ensuring your experience is rewarding, secure, and deeply meaningful.

We proudly work with women across Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Greenwood, Zionsville, Avon, Plainfield, Brownsburg, Lawrence, and other neighboring communities. If you’re a compassionate, family-oriented woman who wants to make a lasting difference in someone’s life, surrogacy could be an incredibly fulfilling path for you.

Keep reading to learn how surrogacy in Indianapolis, IN, works, what to expect throughout the journey, and how GSHC supports you every step of this life-changing experience.

• Who Becomes a Surrogate?
• Who Uses a Surrogate?
• Become a Surrogate in Indianapolis
• Find a Surrogate in Indianapolis
• Surrogacy Laws in Indianapolis
• The GSHC Surrogacy Process
• Surrogacy in Indianapolis FAQ
• Why GSHC: About Our Surrogacy Agency

Who Becomes a Surrogate?

Surrogates in the Indianapolis, IN area are often motivated by a genuine desire to help others experience the joy of parenthood. Many are healthy women between the ages of 21 and 38 who carried a pregnancy to full term, enjoyed pregnancy, and feel called to help give that gift to someone else.

When you partner with a surrogacy agency like GSHC, you’ll receive full emotional and logistical support — from application to delivery and beyond — and benefit from a highly competitive compensation structure designed to reflect your generosity and commitment throughout the process.

Become a Surrogate in Indianapolis

Once you’ve decided to become a surrogate, the journey truly begins. While the process is exciting, there are important steps to consider as you move forward. We’ve outlined the need-to-knows below:

1. Choose a Surrogacy Agency & Create a Surrogacy Plan: While there are several surrogacy agency options available in Indianapolis, IN, local women choose GSHC for our professional, compassionate approach and local experience. We offer:

• Deep knowledge of Indiana surrogacy laws
• Partnership with trusted attorneys to make sure the journey is ethical and legally secure
• Top compensation for surrogate mothers with additional support for maternity care, child care, travel, and wellness
• Personalized local care and monitoring, including access to a dedicated case manager (often someone who has been a surrogate herself)

2. Match With Intended Parents: Once you begin working with GSHC, you’ll need to be matched with intended parents. An introductory meeting is set up so both parties can get to know each other and ensure values, expectations, and comfort levels are aligned. This is the time to ask open, honest questions, from views on multiples to communication preferences during pregnancy.

3. Surrogacy Contract and Medical Readiness: Typically, once you've been matched with intended parents—but before any medical procedures can begin—a surrogacy agreement is created. In Indiana, however, the legal landscape is a bit more complex. State law considers surrogacy contracts void and unenforceable in court. Even so, most fertility clinics still require a signed agreement before moving forward with treatment, making this an essential part of the process. To legally establish parentage, a pre- or post-birth court order may also be needed, since Indiana law presumes that the woman who gives birth is the legal mother, and if she is married, her husband is presumed to be the father.

4. Medical Process & Embryo Transfer: Once the contract and any additional documents have been drawn up, reviewed, and signed, the intended mother or egg donor undergoes egg retrieval after a cycle of fertility medications. The eggs are then fertilized with sperm from the intended father or donor to create embryos. As the surrogate, you’ll receive fertility treatments to prepare your body for the embryo transfer.

5. Ongoing Monitoring, Care & Delivery: Once a healthy pregnancy is confirmed and a fetal heartbeat is detected, the surrogate will begin routine prenatal care, including regular doctor visits, monitoring, and follow-ups throughout the pregnancy. GSHC partners with local OB offices, delivery hospitals, and fertility clinics in Indianapolis, IN, and surrounding areas to ensure your journey is safe and supported every step of the way. Our experienced professionals understand the unique needs of surrogates and are dedicated to making the entire experience as smooth and positive as possible.

Delivery Hospitals for Surrogates in the Indianapolis Area

Ascension St. Vincent Women's Hospital (NICU Level: Level I)
IU Health Methodist Hospital (NICU Level: Level III)
Franciscan Health Indianapolis (NICU Level: Level III)

Fertility Clinics for IVF & Surrogacy Monitoring in the Indianapolis Area

Indiana Fertility Institute
Midwest Fertility Specialists

GSHC handles all coordination of your care, so you can focus on having a healthy, well-supported pregnancy. If you still have questions about the process, our website is a great resource to help you learn more and feel confident moving forward.

Surrogate Compensation in Indianapolis: How Much Are Surrogates Paid?

In Indianapolis, IN, surrogates can expect to earn between $55,000 and $110,000. This is based on experience, with first-time surrogate compensation starting at $55K and second-time surrogate compensation starting at $90K. This payment includes base compensation along with additional payments for related expenses incurred throughout the surrogacy journey.

It is essential to note that compensated surrogacy is not explicitly legal in Indiana; however, a surrogate can match with someone in a more surrogacy-friendly state, and vice versa, to receive compensation accordingly.

Learn More About Surrogate Compensation and Pay

Find a Surrogate in Indianapolis

Finding the right surrogate in Indianapolis, IN, is a thoughtful and collaborative process. Many intended parents begin this journey with a trusted surrogacy agency like GSHC. At GSHC, we offer expert matching services, thorough screening, legal coordination, and continuous support, while also working closely with surrogates and intended parents to ensure every step of the medical process is carefully managed.

How Much Does Surrogacy Cost in Indianapolis, IN?

Intended parents in Indianapolis, IN, can expect to spend between $150,000 and $179,000 on the surrogacy process. This total includes both fixed costs, such as surrogate compensation and agency fees, and variable expenses like medical care, legal services, and travel. Additionally, IVF treatments typically range from $12,000 to $15,000, depending on the clinic and protocol used.

Here’s a general breakdown of what’s included in this cost:

• Surrogate compensation
• Agency fees
• Matching
• Screening
• Medical costs
• Legal costs

While the overall cost may seem overwhelming at first, financial support is available. Grants, loans, and employer-sponsored fertility benefits can help offset expenses. In some cases, insurance plans may cover parts of the fertility treatment or surrogacy-related care.

It’s important to remember that many families have successfully navigated this journey. With careful planning, expert guidance, and the right support system, surrogacy can be a realistic — and deeply rewarding — path to parenthood.

How to Find a Surrogate in Indianapolis

Because of the unique challenges with Indiana state law, working with a surrogacy agency like GSHC can be a great way to eliminate the stress, confusion, and frustration that can be involved with the surrogacy process. When you work with GSHC, you’ll have an advocate on your side who will:

• Support you from beginning to end
• Screen and match you and/or your partner with surrogates who will be the right fit for your family
• Help you gain access to other professionals, like a surrogacy attorney, medical professionals, clinics, and more, for the duration of the process
• Provide assistance throughout the pregnancy, should any issues or complications with the surrogate arise

With deep ties to the local medical community and years of experience navigating Indiana’s legal and ethical landscape, we ensure that each match is carefully made and every step is managed with transparency, care, and respect.

Using an Egg Donor and Surrogate in Indianapolis

While surrogacy is not prohibited, Indiana state law does not automatically recognize egg or sperm donors or intended parents as the legal parents. Instead, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that the gestational carrier is considered the legal mother at birth. Because of this, it's essential to file a pre- or post-birth order with the court to legally establish parentage for the intended parents.

LGBTQ+ Surrogacy in Indianapolis

Yes, LGBTQ+ couples in Indianapolis, IN, can pursue surrogacy, and Indiana courts allow the non-genetic same-sex partner to adopt the child after birth, so both parents can be legally recognized as Parent and Co-Parent on the birth certificate.

Surrogacy Laws in Indianapolis

Indiana law presents some unique challenges for surrogacy, particularly around the legal recognition of parentage. While surrogacy contracts are not enforceable in court according to Article 20 of Title 31 in Indiana Code, creating one is still an essential part of the process — most fertility clinics require a signed agreement before treatment can begin. Courts in many Indiana counties do support intended parents by granting pre- or post-birth parentage orders, especially when at least one parent is genetically related to the child.

Under Indiana law, the woman who gives birth is considered the legal mother, and if she’s married, her husband is presumed to be the legal father. This default does not align with many surrogacy arrangements, so intended parents must file court documents to establish their legal rights. In cases involving donor eggs, the process may be more complex and could require an adoption. That’s why working with an experienced agency like GSHC is critical to ensuring a secure, ethical, and well-supported surrogacy journey.