ConceiveAbilities

What is ConceiveAbilities?

ConceiveAbilities connects prospective parents with women of child-bearing age, who are willing and able to carry a baby or donate an egg to help another person have a child.

(This post main contain affiliate links. You can read our affiliate policy here.)

How it works

There are three ways to work with this agency — as a prospective parent, as a surrogate or as an egg donor. In all three cases, you start by filling out a short online registration.

The next step is setting up a phone call with a ConceiveAbilities representative. During this call, you’ll  discuss what you’re interested in and provide more information about you — your background, goals, family and education.

All of these details help determine whether you’re a good prospect for a match, no matter which category of client you are.

For instance, if you are a prospective parent, the site will want to know why you’re seeking the services of an egg donor or surrogate. The representative will also want to know your expectations and what qualities are most important to you. You can also ask questions about how the process works and what it costs.

If you’re a surrogate or an egg donor, the ConceiveAbilities representative will explain the requirements — there’s a substantial list for both surrogates and donors. And that person will discuss how the process works and what it pays.

Conceivabilities Review

What stands out about this site is that it is extremely transparent. It offers clear estimates of cost and payments; side effects; requirements; and the time involved. That helps all parties prepare for what is a complex, emotional experience — both good and bad.

ConceiveAbillities also is a full-service shop, meaning that it connects its parents to surrogates and  egg donors in its own network. Instead of representing just one party, it’s likely to represent them all.

The site is also among the oldest in the U.S., representing parents and surrogates for more than 25 years. In this highly emotional field that juggles health, interpersonal relationships and precious goals, experience is valuable.

Requirements

The requirements depend on whether you’re hoping to be a surrogate or an egg donor. (There are no stated requirements for intended parents.)

For egg donors, you must be:

• US Citizen or permanent resident
• 21 – 28 years of age
• BMI under 28 (explanation below)
• physically and emotionally healthy, with regular menstrual cycles and no reproductive disorders or anomalies
• willing to undergo physical and mental evaluations
• not using certain methods of birth control
• must also be willing and able to respond to communication within 24 hours and be under consideration for up to six months.

For surrogates, you must:

• have given birth at least once before, with an uncomplicated pregnancy
• be between the ages of 21 and 43
• be a U.S. resident, living in a state where surrogacy is legal
• physically and emotionally healthy, with a BMI in the normal range (explanation below)
• be willing and able to pass a background check
• no smoking, or drug use
• be financially stable

What is BMI?

Body mass index is a calculation that compares your height to your weight. It’s aimed at telegraphing whether you’re overweight or underweight, which can impact your fertility and ability to carry a baby to term.

Don’t know your BMI? You can use this tool to calculate it.

Referral program

The site also has a referral program that provides bonuses to prospective surrogates and egg donors, as well as to the person who refers them. SideHusl.com joined this program to get our readers (and our site) access to these bonuses.

Prospective surrogates who sign up using our referral code will get $50 for completing an online registration and $100 for completing an initial call with a ConceiveAbilities representative. If you’re matched, you’ll receive an additional $500 bonus. These payments are in addition to any compensation you may earn for being a surrogate or egg donor.

The process

Since SideHusl.com is about ways to make money, we’ll focus here solely on egg donors and surrogates. In both cases, the first steps involve filling out a short registration form online and talking to an agent on the phone.

Expect what in other circumstance might be considered “nosy” questions. Agents for ConceiveAbilities will want to know virtually everything about you — your educational background; your personal goals; your family history. They’ll also ask about your current personal circumstances, including who you live with and whether they’re supportive of your goal to have a child for someone else.

Intrusive? Sure. But nothing is more intrusive than pregnancy — or having your eggs harvested to give to another family. Intended parents, who are spending close to $200,000 to have a child, have a right to know whether their surrogates and egg donors are healthy enough — mentally and physically — to handle this process.

Egg donors will also need to provide family medical history, since your history could have an impact on the baby’s long-term health.

For egg donors: Earnings $10,000+

If you’re approved and matched with a family, you’ll spend between six and eight weeks doing a thorough medical screening, including a mental health evaluation. Assuming all of this goes well, you’ll need to take medications for up to three weeks.

These medications are aimed at increasing your body’s egg production and development. During the period that you’re on medication, you’ll need to attend six or seven appointments with an InVitroFertilization doctor, who will monitor whether your eggs are developing as hoped.

At the end of this process, there’s a one-day out-patient procedure where the doctor will “harvest” your eggs. You’ll be sedated during the procedure and will need someone to drive you there and home, and, ideally, hang out with you. In some cases, this procedure causes fatigue and cramping.

Payment for egg donation starts at $10,000 and can be considerably more for second-time donors. ConceiveAbilities also pays any expenses related to medical care, necessary travel, and per diem costs, if you must go out of town to meet a fertility specialist.

For surrogates: Earnings $50,000 – $100,000

The process for surrogates is similar, at least in the beginning. You’ll fill out a form and engage in a telephone screening. You’ll then engage in a far more exhaustive screening process that will evaluate your mental and physical health.

If you’re selected to be a surrogate, you sign a legal contract that explains both what is expected of you and how much and when you’re paid.

Typically, surrogates receive multiple types of payments. There’s base pay, which is normally doled out in monthly increments. There are both milestone payments for things like implantation of the egg.  And there are “allowances” for things like a maternity wardrobe, lost wages for time you need to take off work, and travel costs to and from the IVF doctor. Medical costs, including health insurance and deductibles, are also reimbursed.

Typically, payments to surrogates range from $50,000 to $100,000, including expenses.

Recommendations

If you think you might want to become a surrogate or an egg donor, this is a good agency to consider. If you  sign up with ConceiveAbilities here the site will provide a $50 bonus for completing your registration,  another $100 for completing a telephone interview, and an additional $500 if you’re matched.

What their donors say (from Yelp)

I donated eggs with another place when I was in Boston in undergrad. And it was something I thought I’d never do again. When I moved to Chicago for graduate school my sister who was in residency told me to look into Conceiveabilities. I have now donated with them 3 more times and each time was able to get a higher level of pay. They base the amount you can receive on how well you do with each donation and also because I have a degree from a top tier university. (I earned $8,000 in Boston and my last donation here with them was $15,000). It’s been a great experience. The company has been super professional at every step and never did I think I wasn’t getting the best care. They are super selective though. But if you make the cut, you are well paid.

I am a two-time donor with this company, and have had nothing but good experiences.

Surrogates

I first started looking at becoming a surrogate in 2014, and after a lot of research, decided to go through ConceiveAbilities. The entire experience, start to finish, was amazing. So amazing that I carried again a few years after delivering my first belly buddy. Their matching process is a highlight for me…my IPs and I could not be a better fit for each other. In the 5 years we’ve known each other, we have become family.

I worked with Conceivabilities as a surrogate and found the experience so enjoyable. I was able to give the gift of twin boys to a very deserving and wonderful couple. Conceivabilities made the process so easy for me and my family. They knew exactly how to match us with a family with similar expectations. The lawyers, doctors, nurses, clinics, and insurance agencies made the process so simplified for us since they had established relationships with Conceivabilities. Everybody knew exactly what they were doing.

From Google reviews

I am currently 22 weeks pregnant and am very pleased with the process. ConceiveAbilities has made the process so smooth as explain to me ahead of time what is the next step and has arrange all traveling (hotel and airline) for me. I was matched perfectly with a great caring couple. All my payments were posted into my account the exact time I was told they would. ConceiveAbilities even took care on my behalf a doctor invoice and send a check directly to the office. I would recommend them to anybody that is considering being a surrogate.

12/14/2023