Surrogacy in Iowa
We serve all of Iowa, working with surrogates and intended parents from Des Moines and Cedar Rapids to Davenport, Iowa City, and Sioux City. Iowa's courts have upheld gestational surrogacy agreements, and most of the process happens where you live: you apply from home, match from home, and see your own OB for prenatal care, with a small number of trips to the fertility clinic in California. Below is how it works from where you live.
- Serving
- All of IowaDes Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Iowa City, Sioux City and beyond
- Helping families since
- 2015A California agency serving the whole state
- The law
- Supported by case lawIowa Supreme Court, 2018
- Parentage
- Handled by your attorneysGenetic-parent and county-dependent, often a post-birth step
How surrogacy works when you live in Iowa
Most Iowa families come to us asking two things: is this okay here, and how does it work from here? The short answers are yes, gestational surrogacy is well established in Iowa, and mostly from your own home. Here is the honest picture for each side.
You stay home for most of it
You apply from home, and the early conversations and records review happen by phone and video. The medical steps, the clinic evaluation and the embryo transfer, happen at the fertility clinic in California. For most surrogates that means a small number of trips, not a relocation, and we plan every one with you.
Iowa to Southern California is a real cross-country trip, and we say so plainly and plan every trip with you. Once pregnancy is confirmed, you are home with your own OB in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, or wherever home is, for the whole pregnancy. Read the full picture on our become a surrogate page.
One team, coordinated to Iowa
Consultations happen by video, or in person at our California home office if you prefer, and matching, screening, and legal referrals run through one coordinator. The legal work is handled by independent attorneys, including counsel experienced in Iowa parentage work.
We tell you plainly where each step happens, and when the parentage work happens, before you commit to anything. Start with surrogacy for intended parents.
Surrogacy is well established in Iowa
Iowa families ask about the law more than almost anything else, so here is the short version. The case-law detail, and how Iowa compares with every other state, lives on our law guide.
What you read here is general information, not legal advice. Your own attorney confirms how it applies to your match.
Read our full surrogacy law guideIowa has no comprehensive surrogacy statute, but gestational surrogacy is well established in practice. Iowa law exempts surrogacy arrangements from its baby-selling statute, and the Iowa Supreme Court has held gestational surrogacy agreements enforceable. The agreement is drafted before any medical steps, with independent counsel for the surrogate and the intended parents.
Parentage in Iowa depends on the genetic relationship and on the county. A genetically related intended father can often be established before birth, while an intended mother, or a non-genetic or second parent, generally completes their parentage after birth, through a parentage order or adoption. Your attorneys plan the exact path for your family, which is one reason experienced Iowa counsel matters.
A note on accuracy. We work in gestational surrogacy only. Because Iowa has no surrogacy statute, the parentage step can be more involved than in states that write it into law, and it is sometimes completed after the birth. Always confirm your specifics with an Iowa-licensed reproductive attorney.
Requirements to become a surrogate in Iowa
These are the general guidelines most surrogacy programs follow, ours included. They are a starting point, not a verdict. The only way to know for certain is a conversation and a medical review.
Are between about 21 and 38 years oldThe range can flex based on your health history.
Have given birth before and are raising a child of your ownAgencies and clinics look for prior pregnancy experience.
Had healthy, full-term pregnancies and deliveriesReviewed with your medical records during screening.
Are in good general healthConfirmed through a clinic medical evaluation.
Live in a stable home with reliable supportA partner, family, or friends you can lean on.
Do not smoke or use illicit drugsAsked about and reviewed as part of screening.
Are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent residentHelps keep the legal process clean and predictable.
Have a stable income, not relying on cash assistanceSo compensation is genuinely yours to keep.
These are program standards, not an Iowa legal checklist. Iowa has no surrogacy statute that sets surrogate eligibility, so these guidelines are ours. Screening covers your medical records, a clinic evaluation, and a psychological screening, and independent legal counsel for each side signs the agreement before medical steps begin.
A word about compensation: it is real, and it is put in writing in your agreement before anything medical begins. What it looks like depends on your situation, so we talk it through personally rather than posting numbers.
Wondering about a c-section, a tubal ligation, anxiety, or PCOS? Those questions come up often and the answer is usually more nuanced than a yes or no. We would rather talk it through than turn you away on a checklist. Our surrogate eligibility guide answers them condition by condition, the become a surrogate page has the full picture, or just reach out.
Building your family from Des Moines or Cedar Rapids
Working with us from Iowa looks like one team coordinating everything: the match, the screening, the clinic, and the legal work, including the parentage path Iowa allows for your family. Here is what that means in practice.
Remote first, in person when you want
Consultations and matching conversations happen by video, around your schedule. When you want to sit across a table, our home office is a direct flight away. The full arc is on our how surrogacy works page.
The right counsel for Iowa parentage work
Your agreement is drafted and reviewed by independent attorneys, and the parentage path is mapped by counsel experienced in Iowa. That path depends on the genetic relationship and the county, and it is sometimes completed after the birth, so you never have to figure out the sequencing alone.
Every kind of family
Married, unmarried, LGBTQ+, or single: we welcome every kind of family, and experienced Iowa counsel structures the parentage path for each one, including the additional step a non-genetic or second parent may complete after birth. See how we support LGBTQ+ families.
Clear costs before you commit
We do not post price lists, and we do not do surprises either. Before you commit to anything, we walk through what shapes the total and build a personalized estimate for your situation. Our surrogacy costs guide explains how that works.
How does surrogacy work in Iowa?
Every match moves at its own pace, but the path is the same. Here is what it looks like from your first conversation with us to the day the baby comes home.
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First conversation and application
You tell us where you are and what you want, by phone or video from anywhere in Iowa. Surrogates complete an application; intended parents talk through goals, timing, and the kind of match they hope for. No medical details are needed yet.
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Screening, remote first
We review medical records and coordinate medical and psychological screening with you, working around your schedule. The in-person clinic evaluation is one of the small number of California trips, and we plan it with you.
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Matching
We introduce a surrogate and intended parents who fit each other on values, expectations, communication style, and the practical things, like contact during pregnancy and views on tough medical decisions. You decide together whether to move forward.
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Legal contracts with independent counsel
Each side retains its own attorney, and the surrogacy agreement is signed before any medications begin. This is also when compensation and expenses are set in writing.
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Embryo transfer and pregnancy
The fertility clinic in California handles the medical cycle and the embryo transfer, then you are home for the pregnancy with your own OB and your own hospital, whether you deliver in Des Moines or Cedar Rapids. Your coordinator stays close to both sides throughout.
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Parentage and birth
Your attorneys complete the parentage work on the path Iowa allows for your family, which for some families is finished after the birth, so the intended parents are recognized as the child's parents. Then the family is together.
A California team, not a call center
Our home office is in Rancho Cucamonga, California, not Iowa, and we would rather say that plainly than pretend a Des Moines storefront. What the miles actually mean: a direct flight from Iowa to Southern California, in-person meetings that are genuinely possible, and a coordinator who runs matches across state lines every day.
When you reach out, a real person calls you back, walks through your questions, and stays your person from then on. Screening conversations, matching, and check-ins happen by phone and video, around your work and your kids. The only steps that bring you to California are the clinic ones, and we plan those with you.
11989 Arrow Route, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
(626) 528-6868
Iowa surrogacy, answered
Is surrogacy legal in Iowa?
Yes. Iowa has no comprehensive surrogacy statute, but gestational surrogacy is well established: Iowa law exempts surrogacy from its baby-selling statute, and the Iowa Supreme Court has held gestational surrogacy agreements enforceable.
Parentage in Iowa depends on the genetic relationship and the county, and is sometimes completed after birth, so experienced Iowa counsel plans the path for your family. For the state-by-state picture, see our surrogacy law guide.
What are the requirements to be a surrogate in Iowa?
In general, you are roughly 21 to 38, have given birth before and are raising a child, have had healthy pregnancies, are in good health, do not smoke, and have a stable home.
Iowa adds no statutory baseline of its own, so these are program guidelines. Final eligibility is confirmed through a personal conversation and screening, because your history matters more than any single box. Our surrogate eligibility guide answers the condition-by-condition questions.
Do I have to travel to California?
Yes, some, and we would rather tell you that plainly: the clinic steps happen in California.
The screening evaluation and the embryo transfer happen at the clinic in California, planned with you well in advance. Everything else, from your first call to your prenatal care and delivery, stays home in Iowa.
How do intended parents in Iowa establish parentage?
Your attorneys establish parentage on the path Iowa allows for your family. A genetically related intended father can often be established before birth; an intended mother, or a non-genetic or second parent, generally completes parentage after birth, through a parentage order or adoption.
The exact path depends on genetics and on the county, and your attorneys plan it early. Start with surrogacy for intended parents or our how surrogacy works guide.
Get started in Iowa
It starts with a conversation, from wherever you are in Iowa. We listen first, then show you exactly what comes next.