After lots of speculation surrounding whether or not Kim Kardashian and Kanye West would try for baby No. 3, TMZ reports the couple has hired a surrogate. An unnamed source also revealed the news to People.
The couple used an agency to find the surrogate, whose agreement states she will receive $45,000 over 10 months, according to TMZ. The couple will also reportedly “assume the legal and parental responsibilities for any child ... that may possess any congenital or other abnormalities or defects.”
The surrogate will get an extra $5,000 for each additional baby if there is more than one, TMZ notes, and if the surrogate loses reproductive organs, she will receive $4,000. On top of that, Kardashian and West are also required to put down $68,850 as a deposit with the agency.
There are also lifestyle rules in place for the surrogate, TMZ reports. They include: no sexual activity for the three weeks after the embryo is implanted, no hot tubs or saunas, no hair dye, only one caffeinated drink per day, no raw fish, and no smoking, drinking or drugs.
HuffPost has reached out to a representative for Kardashian and will update this post accordingly.
Kardashian, who already has two children with West ― North, 4, and Saint, 1 ― has been very open about her various fertility struggles. The reality star suffered from preeclampsia while pregnant with North, and placenta accreta throughout both pregnancies. She also famously hates pregnancy, calling it “the worst experience of my life” in a blog post on her website in 2015.
During one “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” episode last year, Kardashian told her mother she wanted to “explore surrogacy.” In a later episode, she said she wanted to try having the baby herself, despite the potential health risks associated with placenta accreta. She even underwent uterine surgery in an attempt to get pregnant a third time, but the procedure was unsuccessful.
“After talking to Kanye, I think that I always knew that surrogacy was an option, but I didn’t think it was that realistic of an option. Now, I feel like that’s my reality,” Kardashian said during an April episode of “KUWTK.”
“I feel like surrogacy really is the only other option for me.”