Northwest Surrogacy Center, also known as NW Surrogacy Center, is a for-profit, full-service gestational surrogacy agency based in Portland, Oregon, with additional offices in Seattle and in California. It was founded in 1994 by attorneys Sandra Hodgson and John Chally, and it remains family-founded and family-run: John Chally's sons Michael Chally, who serves as Executive Director and co-owner, and Sam Chally now lead operations. There is no parent company or investor group behind it, and it employs a small staff.
The program combines agency case management with legal services, guiding intended parents and gestational carriers through screening, matching and the course of a journey. The agency works with intended parents who are LGBTQ+, single, or living outside the United States, and it says its affiliated egg donation programs are Intend Egg Donors and AsiaWest Egg Donors for families who need a donor as well as a surrogate. Escrow for surrogate compensation and pregnancy-related costs is administered in-house rather than through an outside escrow company.
Surrogates apply from a defined list of approved U.S. states rather than nationwide, and the agency's requirements include a prior pregnancy, a non-smoking household, and limits on age, body mass index and prior cesarean deliveries. The full eligibility criteria, its published agency fee and its surrogate compensation ranges appear below.
The agency is listed in the Men Having Babies Surrogacy Advisor provider directory. Its Better Business Bureau file, opened in 2005 through the Portland office, shows a C+ rating and no BBB accreditation; that record is also summarized below.
AI summary of 112 reviews · can make mistakes
Reviewers, both intended parents and surrogates, are overwhelmingly positive and often describe the agency as supportive, professional and well organized from first contact through birth and aftercare. Many highlight responsive case managers, clear communication and a thoughtful matching process that they say led to lasting relationships. Negative reviews are rare, though several reviewers note that journeys can take a long time and that screening is thorough.
112 reviews match these filters.
Could not recommend NWSC more highly. From start to finish, over the course of multiple years, they were supportive, diligent, professional and just amazing overall. We have a beautiful baby girl thanks to them.
View on Google (opens in a new tab)I worked with NWSC for 2 surrogacy journeys. They worked hard to guide me through every step of the surrogacy process and made sure that everything was handled quickly and professionally. But even more than being great professionals, they are amazing human beings who want every surrogate to feel loved, heard, and supported through the entire journey!
View on Google (opens in a new tab)Our surrogacy journey with NWSC took three years and included its share of ups and downs. We went through three matching processes before finding the right surrogate, and our third embryo transfer was ultimately successful. Throughout the entire journey, the NWSC team was patient, compassionate, welcoming, and organized. They stayed on top of every detail, communicated clearly, and helped us navigate both the difficult moments and the joyful milestones. We always felt supported and confident that our journey was in capable hands. Cydni and the entire team genuinely cared about us, our surrogate, and the process. Now that we are holding our beautiful daughter, and we feel deeply grateful for everything they did to help make our family possible. We recommend NWSC to intended parents, especially those who understand that the journey may not always be straightforward but can lead somewhere truly wonderful.
View on Google (opens in a new tab)Turns out Oregon doesn't have a stork delivering babies, it's got roughly ten guys running what is functionally a subscription service. You knock on ANY door in a three-county radius and there's a statistically decent chance the answer is 'Donor 4,' 'Donor 9,' or that one guy who's apparently fathered enough kids to field his own youth soccer league — unofficially, obviously, since none of them know each other and all of them think they're an only child." "That's the real knock-knock joke: every door you knock on in Portland, there's a 1-in-10 chance the answer is the SAME guy, just wearing a different house number. Ten dudes, fifty-plus kids, zero group chats, and somewhere there's a family reunion that's just going to be one extremely confused Thanksgiving with way too many people who look alike."
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
$51,000 – $99,000
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 youNW Surrogacy Center accepts gestational surrogates between 21 and 41 years old.
NW Surrogacy Center requires surrogates to have a BMI of 34 or lower.
Yes. NW Surrogacy Center requires surrogates to have had at least 1 prior pregnancy.
No. NW Surrogacy Center requires surrogates to be non-smokers.
NW Surrogacy Center's citizenship or residency requirement for surrogates: must reside in one of NWSC's approved US states; citizenship status not specified.
Yes. NW Surrogacy Center does not accept surrogates who live in: all states except CA, CO, CT, IL, MA, MN, NV, NM, OR, PA, VT, WA.
