Can Single People Use a Surrogate? The Complete Guide for Solo Parents by Choice

Yes — single people can absolutely use a surrogate, and single intended parents (by choice, by circumstance, or by timing) are one of the fastest-growing groups building families through surrogacy. This guide is the practical roadmap: the legal reality, the pathways, the money, and the parts nobody warns you about.

The Legal Reality in California

California Family Code Section 7962 makes no distinction between single intended parents and partnered intended parents. A solo parent — regardless of gender, marital status, or sexual orientation — can:

• Sign a Gestational Surrogacy Agreement
• Obtain a Pre-Birth Order naming them as the sole legal parent
• Be named alone on the original birth certificate
• Add the baby to their health insurance from the moment of birth

This is true whether you're using your own gametes, donor egg, donor sperm, or both. California's Pre-Birth Order framework is structured around intent, not genetics or marriage.

Three Common Single-Parent Pathways

Pathway A: Single Man with Donor Egg

Embryos created using the intended father's sperm and donor egg are transferred to a gestational carrier. The intended father is named as the sole legal parent. This is the most common pathway for single fathers, including a growing number of gay men building families before partnership.

Pathway B: Single Woman with Donor Sperm

This pathway is chosen by single women with medical conditions making pregnancy unsafe or impossible. Embryos created using the intended mother's eggs and donor sperm are transferred to a gestational carrier. (If the intended mother needs both donor egg and donor sperm, the legal pathway is still identical — intent governs parentage.)

Pathway C: Single Parent with Donated Embryos

For prospective parents using donated embryos, California's Family Code still names the recipient as the sole legal parent through the same pre-birth order process.

Your Donor Options

• Known donor: someone you know who agrees to provide gametes — always with its own legal agreement
• Anonymous donor: selected through a donor bank or agency, with full medical and personal profiles
• Directed donor: a friend or family member donating specifically for your journey

Costs: What Solo Parents Should Plan For

Single intended parents at OFG can expect total program costs in the same range as partnered intended parents — typically $170,000 to $275,000 all-in for a California gestational surrogacy journey, depending on:

• Whether donor materials are needed (donor egg adds $20,000-$45,000; donor sperm adds $1,000-$3,000)
• The surrogate's chosen base compensation
• Insurance structure (in-network maternity policy vs. self-funded)
• Number of embryo transfers required

For the full breakdown by line item, see our complete cost guide for intended parents.

Financial Planning Specific to Solo Parents

Solo intended parents face a few planning realities partnered families don't, and we walk every solo parent through them in detail:

• Life insurance. Most attorneys recommend solo parents secure a 20-year term life policy before the embryo transfer to protect the child financially in any worst-case scenario.
• Guardianship designation. Solo parents are asked to designate a legal guardian for the child in their estate documents — separate from naming an emergency contact during the surrogacy contract.
• Disability and short-term-loss insurance. Worth a 30-minute call with a planner before contract signing.
• Workplace leave. Solo intended parents are often the sole caregiver in the first months. Plan leave accordingly; OFG can connect you to peers who have negotiated leave with HR.

Emotional Realities

• You will be asked the same questions about being a solo parent over and over — by your family, your friends, your clinic. Have a one-line answer ready and let everything else roll off.
• The 9 months of pregnancy can feel longer for a solo parent than for a partnered one. Build your support team early. Our guide on building a surrogacy support team walks through how.
• The moment the baby comes home is intense and quiet. Hire help. You will not regret it.

How OFG Supports Solo Parents Specifically

• The same everything. Same consultation, same matching attention, same case management — single parents are a core part of our program, not a special case
• Solo-parent peer matching. Every solo parent at OFG is introduced — only if they want — to two past solo-parent graduates for a peer call.
• Flexible visit logistics. Solo intended parents traveling alone receive an OFG-funded travel companion stipend for the embryo transfer and the birth if requested.
• Two counselor sessions included. One financial, one emotional. We learned from our solo parents that these were the two highest-leverage hours of their entire journey.
• Extra check-ins. Your coordinator understands the journey can feel lonelier at times, and is trained to show up accordingly.

The Honest Bottom Line

Solo parenthood through surrogacy isn't a workaround. It is a fully recognized, legally protected, supported path to building a family in California. The agency you choose should treat it that way from the first phone call — and our agency vetting guide will tell you quickly whether they do.

Related reading on this site:

• How Long Does Surrogacy Take? The Complete Timeline
• LGBTQ+ Surrogacy: The Complete Guide
• What Is a Pre-Birth Order in California?