Family Creations, LLC is a for-profit, full-service surrogacy and egg donation agency based in the Los Angeles area, with additional offices in San Francisco, Bellevue in the Seattle area, Austin, Atlanta and Des Moines. It works with intended parents across the United States and internationally, and matches both gestational surrogates and egg donors.
The agency was founded by Julia McConnell, who is listed as its chief executive officer. Its chief operating officer, Jered Mercer, has been with the organization since 2012 and was promoted from within. Family Creations remains independently held, with no sale, merger or outside acquisition reported.
As a full-service agency, Family Creations handles matching between intended parents and surrogates or egg donors, coordinates screening, and provides case management through the journey. According to its own terms of service, the agency acts as an administrative coordinator and does not provide medical or legal advice, meaning medical care and legal contracts are handled by outside professionals working alongside the agency.
The agency says it works with LGBTQ+ intended parents and single intended parents, as well as parents building families from outside the United States. Its surrogate program is open to applicants who live in the United States in states where gestational surrogacy agreements are legally recognized, and it has a non-smoking requirement. Age, BMI and prior-pregnancy criteria, along with published agency fees and surrogate compensation ranges, appear in the tables below.
AI summary of 14 reviews · can make mistakes
Reviews of Family Creations are mixed, with many strongly positive accounts alongside a smaller group of very negative ones. Reviewers often describe the staff and coordinators as professional, informative and responsive, and several praise a smooth, well-organized process. A few reviewers were unhappy with costs and contract payment terms, communication from leadership during sign-up, and how the agency handled ending a surrogate's journey.
14 reviews match these filters.
You can see one of the emails from Jered below who is one of the executives at the company (it's a good example of how he communicates and manages relationships). My husband planned to send in the retainer that night but got stuck in the ER. My husband was able to send in the retainer the next morning but we never heard back from Jared. We had been communicating with Jared up until the point including asking follow-up questions about the contract and asking to meeting with our main POC. Relative to other similar firms the costs are higher and the contract is structured in a way where parents pay the fee earlier in the relationship than other firms. We compared the Family Creations contract against 9 other firms our friends have used in the Bay Area. Family Creations was the least parent friendly contract.
View on Google (opens in a new tab)Jared is rude and pushy. The matches where not good.
View on Google (opens in a new tab)Was a Surrogate for them and they dumped me after I had a miscarriage they didn’t even tell me that was going to happen or warn me of that if I had a miscarriage save yourself the trouble, I put devotion and time for 1 whole year just to disqualified when it wasn’t even my fault save yourself the time and find another agency.
View on Google (opens in a new tab)Buyer beware, not all surrogacy agencies are legitimate...but Family Creations is the real deal! I found Family Creations (FC) through a referral list provided my egg donation and surrogacy medical clinic, Pacific Fertility Center (PFC) in San Francisco. PFC is a highly regarded clinic, and my doctor there, Dr. Isabelle Ryan, does everything by the book (which, especially when it comes to doctors, I like). With that, I highly valued PFC's referral list of surrogacy providers...and Family Creations was among the limited number of agencies on that list. I worked with Family Creations (FC) and hired a surrogate through them for my first child. FC strictly and thoroughly researches potential surrogates. They provide a great deal of information sharing between parties before initially meeting, and assist as a reliable resource throughout pregnancy. Surrogacy is of course expensive, and FC's costs and fees are right in line with industry standards. There are other "less expensive" options when seeking a surrogate or surrogacy agency, but often, less expensive in the short-term ends up becoming more expensive long-term. Beyond that, the quality of Family Creations' staff is top-notch. If you are considering a best-of-class agency when searching for a surrogate, do yourself a favor, and put Family Creations on your call list.
View on Google (opens in a new tab)Google reviews are shown as written and link to the original. Forum, Yelp and Trustpilot entries are our short summaries of what was posted, linked to the source. Reviewer type is inferred from what each reviewer wrote.
Base compensation
$50,000 – $100,000
Published by the agency. Benefits and allowances are usually on top of this.
Requirements change — confirm with the agency before applying.
See which agencies fit youFamily Creations accepts gestational surrogates between 21 and 39 years old.
Family Creations requires surrogates to have a BMI of 32 or lower.
Yes. Family Creations requires surrogates to have had at least 1 prior pregnancy.
No. Family Creations requires surrogates to be non-smokers.
Family Creations's citizenship or residency requirement for surrogates: US resident in a surrogacy-friendly/legally-recognized state.
