How Gennifer Rose Earns $5,000 per Month as a Surrogate Mother

Surrogacy and side hustle aren’t two words you’d normally use in the same sentence. And while it is commonly known that egg, sperm, and plasma donation can bring in a modest amount of income, many would pump the brakes when it comes to the thought of carrying someone else’s child — even for $5,000 per month.

The reality is, however, that while yes, money is involved, surrogacy provides an invaluable and indescribable service to everyone involved.

A surrogate, rewarded with a tremendous sense of accomplishment, empathy, and of course, financial reimbursement. The new parent(s), a gift so precious that words alone are not enough to portray it.

When Gennifer Rose, a Sacramento-based mom, first got started in the surrogacy industry, she could scarcely imagine the surrogate journey would soon too become her personal story. On her blog, SurrogacyMama.com, Rose demystifies surrogacy through her own experiences, offering a clear, engaging guide for those interested in following a similar path.

Today, we invite her to share a bit about her journey, how much she earns, and realistic steps for getting started.

Meet Gennifer Rose

A wife and mother to two small children, I have worked professionally in the infertility and surrogacy industry for years, which has allowed me to meet so many people who have struggled to have their own children.

When you hear their stories firsthand and are actively working to help them become parents, you often become very emotionally invested in their journey.

Over the years I have also worked and become close friends with countless surrogates who have delivered babies for families. I found their stories to be just as inspirational, and I saw much of myself in them. I also knew many of these women used their surrogacy income to make big moves financially, such as starting a business, buying a house, or going back to school.

It’s a rare scenario where someone can earn an additional $50,000 in cash payments in a year (on top of their usual salaries), and it opens up a lot of possibilities for these women.

While not all women will qualify to be a surrogate, I am very fortunate that I have great health and a history of easy pregnancies. I was quickly approved to be a surrogate after I applied, and I started the process of surrogacy.

How Much Do Surrogates Earn?

Surrogacy compensation is divided out into two categories: milestone payments before pregnancy, and base compensation monthly payouts during pregnancy.

In short, in the beginning, surrogates are paid sums of money for completing several required tasks during the process. For example, in my own surrogacy journey, I was paid a $300 monthly allowance, $500 when I started IVF medications, $1,000 per embryo transfer, etc. These are all payments made before pregnancy.

 

 

Once I was pregnant and we had a heartbeat confirmation (usually around 8 weeks), I received monthly cash deposits of $4,500 on the first day of the month for the remainder of my pregnancy.

The total earnings in my contract stated I will earn $50,000, which is a base compensation of $45,000, plus all the other milestones and bonus payments.

It is important to note that the surrogate doesn’t start earning the bulk of her compensation until after she is confirmed pregnant. So there are several months beforehand where she will be doing a lot of work with minimal earnings.

The exact amount that a surrogate will earn differs by surrogacy agency. Also, the scheduling of payments will differ by agency. I highly recommend all surrogates thoroughly read through the paperwork to understand exactly how their compensation will be paid out.

On Startup Costs

Surrogates are never expected to pay any kind of money or fees to begin this process. Every expense is either covered by the surrogacy agency or the intended parents.

That being said, there’s a significant investment of time and effort on the part of the surrogate. There will be a lot of paperwork, interviews, medical screening appointments, travel (all expenses paid), and later on IVF procedures and pregnancy.

 

 

The ideal candidate to be a surrogate is a woman who has flexibility in her schedule for appointments and is highly motivated to complete administrative tasks in a timely manner. She must be dependable and trustworthy.

On Taking Her Side Hustle Online

I have been a hobby blogger for over 10 years, and my husband and I now have 5 active blogs. We basically start a blog for any personal interest that we have. We started our original fashion and lifestyle blog back in 2014, and we have monetized it by running Ezoic ads and featuring sponsors for paid cash fees.

When it comes to marketing the blogs, site traffic has always been my main focus. It is my personal goal to get into a premium ad platform such as Mediavine to make more significant passive income. To increase site traffic, I focus on organic SEO and Pinterest. I try to do keyword research before I start writing a blog post, which will hopefully help it rank better. I have found that original photography is also really helpful to gain more exposure.

For my surrogacy blog SurrogacyMama.com, we launched it in early 2023. We have hopes to build a community for surrogates, intended parents, and IVF patients. Surrogacy is a very fast-growing industry, but I have found that there’s very little public information for those looking to do research.

Making the leap from working professionally in surrogacy to earning personally as a surrogate and blogging about my experience was a natural progression for me.

It seemed like a great opportunity for me to use both my professional knowledge and personal experience as a surrogate to help educate others. In the future, I hope to monetize it by collaborating with other industry professionals and giving my peers more exposure to a like-minded audience.

Related: How to Take Your Business Online: 11-Step Guide

On the Challenges of Surrogacy

Surrogacy was the first time I ever went through IVF treatments. I have excellent fertility and conceived my own children naturally without any challenges. IVF is a different animal with semi-invasive procedures such as self-injected medication, many ultrasounds, and an embryo transfer. It also has unpredictable outcomes and can require multiple attempts to get pregnant.

I had to complete two rounds of IVF and two embryo transfers before I had a confirmed pregnancy. While I did earn additional compensation for the second round of IVF, it took me longer to start earning my larger base compensation payments.

You also have to consider the emotional toll that a failed embryo transfer can cause. During this process, you become emotionally invested in the intended parents and really want everything to work out for them. It can be very disappointing when the IVF doesn’t work as planned.

Most Fulfilling Moment

In surrogacy, the biggest moment for everyone is the heartbeat confirmation. This is the moment when the intended parents and surrogate have a confirmed pregnancy.

This is also the start of the large compensation payments for the surrogate. A lot of time and effort has been put into getting to this moment, and now everyone can breathe a sigh of relief that it worked.

Advice for Aspiring Surrogates

For those entering into surrogacy without much prior knowledge, I highly suggest doing as much research as possible beforehand. While this can be a very lucrative financial side hustle for mothers, it does require a significant commitment in time, emotional investment, and can take a physical toll on your body.

Also, as previously mentioned, a surrogate must have flexibility in her schedule to be able to attend all the required medical appointments for IVF and pregnancy. When it comes to your employer, it does help that pregnant women’s rights are protected under federal law, but ideally, you will still have the support you need from your boss and coworkers.

Many of the required appointments will happen during typical business hours, so a surrogate will need to be able to make the time.

On the Future

The best part of surrogacy is that when compared to other side hustles, there isn’t much in the way of skillset or experience needed to become successful. No marketing, networking, or lead generation skills are required for the surrogate to earn their income. A surrogate can be completely independent and self-reliant without her income depending on sales, clients, or the involvement of others.

This means you can take an extended break from the scene, and pick things back up if time and energy allow.

As for Rose, she shared “I am unsure if I will have another surrogacy pregnancy in the future, but I do plan on continuing to grow my surrogacy blog and helping other women through this process. In my eyes, surrogacy is one of those rare win-win scenarios where both parties can find great reward, meaningful connections, and financial earnings.”

Related: 30 Practical Ways to Make $500 Fast (In a Week or Less)