# Circle Surrogacy

Circle Surrogacy is a US-based surrogacy agency headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Circle Surrogacy claims to carry an audited success rate for intended parents having a baby at 99.3%.

## History

Circle Surrogacy was founded in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to establishing the agency, founder John Weltman and his husband had children through surrogacy.
Circle Surrogacy's first baby was born to a heterosexual couple from Massachusetts. Circle Surrogacy provides services to both intended parents and surrogates, touting various financing options, support for international parents in over 70 countries, and a careful vetting and matching process, in which surrogate applicants participate in screenings with a social worker and complete psychological testing. In 2010, Circle moved its headquarters to the current location in downtown Boston. More recently, the agency has opened regional offices in several U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., New York and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as their first international office in London. As of 2019, Circle states that it has facilitated the birth of over 2000 babies via surrogacy and egg donation.

## Surrogacy services

Circle Surrogacy provides services for intended parents and gestational carriers from the application and screening process through post-birth. Circle Surrogacy also provides in-house legal and escrow services for its intended parent clients as part of the surrogacy programs the company provides. Pursuant to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for SEEDS Member Agencies, surrogacy agencies are advised to escrow client funds internally only in "limited circumstances," including, without limitation, that "[t]he Agency fully and conspicuously discloses the possible conflict to all Participants." The Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys has issued guidance that "[t]he use of a formal, independent escrow service is strongly recommended."

## Egg donation services and Everie egg bank

Beginning in 1995 to 2000, Circle Surrogacy began to help people find egg donors for pure egg donation. Over the next two decades, the company discovered a need for a transparent, comprehensive resource for pure egg donors, intended parents, and their families. It was this realization that inspired the creation of Everie Egg Bank in 2023, with a proprietary Mutual Match™ system to foster ideal outcomes for donors and parents alike. Similarly to Circle, the company is headquartered in Boston, with parent company NorthStar Fertility Partners overseeing all related organizations. Everie's offerings include a guide to donor qualification and compensation, various testimonials from real donors, a browsable database, and more.

## Surrogacy.com

Circle launched Surrogacy.com on November 14, 2023. The site purports to be a community "for surrogates, by surrogates," and a destination for candid, honest information about the surrogacy process. Surrogacy.com aims to recruit and match prospective surrogates with surrogacy agencies. Surrogacy.com's parent company, Northstar Fertility Partners, owns and operates three surrogacy agencies: Circle Surrogacy, Reproductive Possibilities, and Growing Generations. Surrogacy.com operates a member-only community for new surrogates, experienced surrogates and their loved ones to share stories, advice, and answer questions about surrogacy.

## Industry scope and historical review

Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to bear a child for another person or persons, who will become the child's parent after birth. The surrogacy industry originally started as early as 1978, when the first baby was successfully conceived through an IVF transfer.
In 1980, an establishment for a “compensated-surrogacy” was concluded, reporting a successful transition, outlining an agreement between the two parties (traditional surrogate and the intended parents) rewarding a total of $10,000 to successfully carry and deliver a baby for the intended couples/parents.
Technological advancements led to increased surrogacy methodologies. The number of surrogacy agencies increased, providing surrogacy services for both females and males, regardless of their sexual preferences or orientation.