The Surrogacy Journey in Minneapolis, MN

Your Guide to Finding or Becoming a Surrogate in Minneapolis, MN, and Throughout the Twin Cities Region.

Embarking on a surrogacy journey in Minneapolis, MN offers hopeful parents a meaningful path to parenthood, while giving compassionate, thoughtful, community-minded women the chance to make a life-changing impact.

At GSHC, we’re proud to support women across Minneapolis and the Twin Cities region who are inspired to become surrogates because they care deeply about helping others and value our personalized, legally clear, and ethically grounded approach. As one of the most trusted surrogacy agencies in Minnesota, we offer one of the most competitive compensation packages in the region, along with unwavering support at every step.

Whether you're a local mom driven to give back through surrogacy, or you're hoping to grow your family with the help of a surrogate, GSHC is here to guide and support you throughout this extraordinary journey.

Keep reading to learn how surrogacy in Minneapolis works, what to expect throughout the process, and how GSHC stands beside you from the first step to delivery day and beyond.

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

Become a Surrogate in Minnesota

Once you’ve made the empowering decision to become a surrogate, your journey truly begins. While it’s an exciting and deeply rewarding experience, there are several important steps along the way. At GSHC, we walk alongside you from the first conversation to the day you deliver your intended parents’ baby, offering expert support and personal care every step of the way.

Here’s what the surrogacy process looks like in Minnesota:

1. Choose a Surrogacy Agency & Create a Surrogacy Plan: While there are several surrogacy agencies in the Minneapolis, MN area, many local women choose GSHC for our personalized care, legal clarity, and strong reputation throughout the Midwest. When you partner with us, you gain access to:
   
   • Local expertise and a deep understanding of Minnesota surrogacy laws
   • One of the most competitive surrogate compensation packages in the Midwest
   • Support for child care, maternity care, travel, and wellness throughout the pregnancy
   • A dedicated case manager, often a former surrogate herself, who is by your side to answer questions and provide assistance the entire time

We’ll also help you create a personalized surrogacy plan that aligns with your goals, boundaries, and support needs.

2. Match With Intended Parents: Once pre-screened, we begin the matching process. We take special care to match you with intended parents whose values, expectations, and personalities align with your own. You’ll meet the intended parents in a guided introductory session where you can ask open, honest questions about communication styles, involvement during pregnancy, preferences around birth, and more. This is the beginning of a powerful partnership rooted in trust and mutual respect.

3. Surrogacy Contract and Medical Readiness: Before medical procedures begin, you and the intended parents will enter into a legally binding surrogacy contract. This agreement outlines your compensation structure, expectations, rights, and your desired relationship with the intended parents.

4. Medical Process & Embryo Transfer: After the legal and medical clearances are in place, the embryo transfer process begins. You’ll take medications to prepare your body for a pregnancy, and when the time is right, undergo a simple, non-surgical embryo transfer at a fertility clinic. Once a pregnancy is confirmed, you’ll receive regular monitoring to ensure everything is progressing safely.

5. Ongoing Monitoring, Care & Delivery: Once a healthy pregnancy is confirmed and a fetal heartbeat is detected, surrogates begin receiving payments according to the terms of the surrogacy contract. Even if the intended parents are working with an IVF clinic outside Minnesota, your appointments for monitoring, lab work, and OB care can happen close to home in Minnesota. GSHC partners with trusted local OB-GYNs, monitoring clinics, and hospitals throughout the Twin Cities region to ensure you receive excellent care close to home. Our team remains in close contact with you, checking in regularly to offer emotional support, coordinate logistics, and advocate for your needs.

Delivery Hospitals for Surrogates in Minneapolis, Minnesota

M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center (NICU Level: Level IV)
Abbott Northwestern Hospital (NICU Level: Level IV)
Regions Hospital – St. Paul (NICU Level: Level II)

Fertility Clinics for IVF & Surrogacy Monitoring in Minneapolis, Minnesota

CRM – Center for Reproductive Medicine (Twin Cities)
CCRM Minneapolis

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 Minnesota: How Much Are Surrogates Paid?

In Minneapolis, MN, and throughout the Twin Cities, surrogates can expect to earn between $50,000 and $100,000. This total includes base compensation as well as additional payments to cover expenses related to the surrogacy journey, such as medical appointments, travel, maternity clothing, and childcare.

Several factors influence the final compensation package, including your location and whether you’ve been a surrogate before. Experienced surrogates often receive higher base rates due to their familiarity with the process and established track record.

Since Minnesota does not have any laws prohibiting surrogacy, both compensated and altruistic surrogacy are permitted:

• Compensated surrogacy: The surrogate is paid for her time, effort, and physical commitment carrying the pregnancy, attending medical appointments, and ultimately delivering the baby.
• Altruistic surrogacy: Typically done for a family member or close friend, this type of arrangement is an act of generosity without financial compensation. These surrogates are often motivated by a strong emotional connection and a desire to help someone they care about achieve parenthood.

At GSHC, we believe surrogates deserve to be fully supported and fairly compensated for the incredible gift they’re giving. We work closely with every surrogate to ensure her compensation plan is clear, fair, and legally protected, so she can focus on the journey with confidence, knowing she’s backed by a trusted, experienced team.

Learn More About Surrogate Compensation & Pay

Find a Surrogate in Minnesota

Finding the right surrogate in Minneapolis, MN, is a thoughtful and collaborative journey — one built on trust, communication, and shared values. Here’s what you can expect:

• Initial Consultation: You’ll begin by meeting with experienced surrogacy professionals like GSHC to discuss your goals, ask questions, and gain a clear understanding of the process ahead.
• Surrogate Screening: All potential surrogates undergo comprehensive medical, psychological, and lifestyle evaluations to ensure they are emotionally and physically ready for the surrogacy journey.
• Matching Process: Intended parents will be presented with detailed surrogate profiles and have the opportunity to choose someone whose values, background, and expectations align with their own. Preferences around age, communication style, and personal beliefs may guide the selection.
• Introduction Meeting: Once a potential match is identified, intended parents and surrogates meet — either virtually or in person — to begin building a strong, respectful relationship rooted in openness and mutual trust for the months ahead.

How Much Does Surrogacy Cost in Minnesota?

Intended parents in Minnesota can expect to spend between $100,000 and $200,000 on the surrogacy process. This includes fixed costs such as agency fees, surrogate compensation, and medical care, as well as variable expenses like IVF treatments, legal fees, and travel.

While the overall cost can feel overwhelming, it’s important to remember that financial support is available. Grants, fertility financing programs, and employer-provided benefits can help reduce the financial burden. And in some cases, insurance coverage may apply to parts of the process, particularly fertility treatments.

Many families in Minnesota have successfully built their families through surrogacy. With careful planning, personalized guidance, and the right support system, this path to parenthood can be both achievable and deeply fulfilling.

How to Find a Surrogate in Minnesota

While it's possible to pursue an independent surrogacy journey in Minnesota, partnering with an experienced agency like GSHC can significantly reduce the stress, uncertainty, and emotional labor often involved in navigating the process on your own. With an agency like ours by your side, you're not just getting logistical support, you’re gaining an advocate, a guide, and a deeply experienced team who will walk with you every step of the way.

When you work with GSHC, we:

• Support you from start to finish, offering personalized guidance from your first consultation to delivery day (and beyond)
• Carefully screen and match surrogates with intended parents who have similar values, lifestyles, and family visions
• Connect you with trusted professionals, including surrogacy attorneys, fertility clinics, mental health specialists, and OB providers
• Provide ongoing support during pregnancy, helping to resolve any challenges that may arise with compassion and clarity

Because surrogacy is more than a medical or legal arrangement — it’s the beginning of a lifelong story — a surrogacy agency like GSHC also helps nurture the relationship between intended parents and surrogates. Whether you choose to stay in touch long after delivery or simply want the journey to be grounded in mutual respect, GSHC can help facilitate that connection and ensure everyone feels supported well beyond the birth.

Using an Egg Donor and Surrogate in Minnesota

Gestational surrogacy is allowed in Minnesota, as there are no laws prohibiting it. In this arrangement, the surrogate carries a baby with whom she has no genetic connection. The embryo is created using the egg and sperm of the intended parents or donors and is then implanted into the surrogate’s uterus through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

LGBTQ+ Surrogacy in Minnesota

Minnesota permits surrogacy for all individuals regardless of sexual orientation, including those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Surrogacy Laws in Minnesota

Minnesota is​ a surrogacy-friendly​ state, wit​h no laws explicitly prohibiting surrogacy. Whether you’re in Minneapolis​, St. Paul, Bloomington, Maple Grove, Eagan, Woodbury, Rochester, ​o​r any surrounding towns across Minnesota, GSHC is here to support you every step of the way.

Once you’re matched with a surrogate and everyone’s ready to move forward, both sides must have their own lawyers. This helps make sure everyone’s rights and interests are protected. The next step is putting together a surrogacy contract, which covers important details like:

• The surrogate giving up parental rights
• The intended parents being recognized as the legal parents
• How compensation and expenses will be handled
• Who makes medical decisions during the pregnancy

You don’t have to live in Minnesota to do surrogacy, but Minnesota laws usually apply if key parts of the process happen in the state.

After the contract is signed, the intended parents’ lawyer will usually file for a pre-birth parentage order. This legal document lets the intended parents make medical decisions during the pregnancy and ensures their names go on the birth certificate after the baby is born.

Once all the legal stuff is squared away, the medical part — like embryo transfer — can start, moving you one step closer to meeting your little one with confidence and peace of mind.