The cost of starting a family

The cost of starting a family

Emotionally and physically the costs associated with starting a family, especially for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community can be staggering.

Did you know that it often costs between $60,000 and $100,000 for a same-sex male couple to have a child carried for them by surrogate? Between the cost of the egg donation and the surrogacy fees, the time off work and the air travel (for many people), hotels and meals, lawyers and court dates . . . having a child is expensive. And that’s just the physical expense.

Many people find that there’s a struggle with the emotional cost of having a child too.

This is especially the case if your body does not work the way that you expected it was going to. Perhaps you are a transman and you have taken yourself off of your testosterone treatments and are looking to conceive a child that you carry for yourself. Becoming a seahorse dad is a wonderful gift but many find that they need extra reproductive assistance. You couple that with body dysmorphia and it just feels overwhelming for many.

A same sex female couple with PCOS and other fertility challenges may have started their journey hoping that they would just have to find donor sperm and that’s all it would take for them to start the family of their dreams. The reality of that is that it’s rare for pregnancy to be conceived with the first try.

I cannot stress enough the value in making sure that you are fully prepared for the journey ahead.

Seek out the support of psychotherapists and social workers so that you get the reproductive counselling that will benefit you and your family.

And make sure that you put having conversations with your certified financial planner as well. They can help you plan for what lies ahead.

I wish you endless success!

Posted by Sam
www.babyREADY.info

Photo Credit: Caitlyn Lawson