Thinking about becoming a surrogate?

The first thing you think about is what are the surrogate requirements. Becoming a surrogate has to be one of the greatest gifts you can give. A couple or a single parent is investing all their hopes and dreams of becoming a parent with you. Investing in you as a surrogate involves lots of money, time and feelings. Which is why it’s so important that the surrogate requirements are so high. We want to make sure that they have the best chance to achieve the family of their dreams.

The most important step is making sure that – you as the surrogate- meet the necessary health requirements to be a surrogate mother. No matter who you work with, you will be required to meet a set of requirements to ensure that you are fit for pregnancy, fertility treatments and carry a healthy child to term.

Your safety, health and well-being are paramount in the surrogacy process. Everyone involved wants the best, safest and healthiest outcome.

The Basic Health Requirements to Be a Surrogate

So, what exactly are the health requirements to be a surrogate mother?

Requirements can vary from agency to agency. Which is why it’s hard to give you an exact answer. We’ve attempted to answer the most common questions below.

Most surrogacy agencies require some sort of screening before you can become a surrogate. Looking for questions to ask your agency? Click here

These screenings may include:

1. Initial application: Basic information about you, your family, your medical and pregnancy history
2. Background screening: Different agencies will have different requirements but they may include such things as:
   • Criminal Background Check
   • Interview/Agency Application
   • Financial screening
3. Psychological screening: A mental health evaluation to determine:
   • You are emotionally ready to become a surrogate
   • That you completely understand surrogacy
   • That you have enough social support throughout your pregnancy and postpartum
   • You are choosing surrogacy for the right reasons
4. Surrogate medical screening: You will need to visit a fertility specialist to make sure:
   • you are physically fit to be pregnant.
   • This will include blood and urine tests
   • Overall examination to assess your body to make sure pregnancy is safe

In addition to the health requirements you will need to:

5. Stop all drugs, alcohol and smoking for the duration of the pregnancy
6. Speak to your agency about their requirements

Frequently Asked Questions About Surrogate Requirements

There are some common questions regarding surrogate requirements. Your doctor can discuss with you if you would be a good candidate to be a surrogate. Each agency and fertility clinic has their own set of surrogate requirements. These are general guidelines only. We’ve broken down the most common requirements into 3 categories: Disqualifiers, Possible Disqualifiers and Generally accepted.

Please speak to you doctor, fertility clinic or agency to get more specific information for your situation.

Disqualifiers

First off, here are the most common things that will prevent you from being a surrogate:

• Current Smoker or Current Substance Use (Previous use is clinic depends on clinic)
• Mental Health Concerns (current and untreated)
• Using medications that aren’t recommended during pregnancy
• Never had a child
• HIV positive
• Women who have completed menopause
• Hysterectomy
• Type I and Type II Diabetes * Gestational diabetes may likely disqualify you
• Sickle Cell
• Any existing medical condition that would make being pregnant dangerous to you or the baby

Potential Disqualifiers

*Consult your doctor, agency or fertility clinic if any of these apply to you

Secondly, here are the most common what we like to call grey areas. These are the conditions that most often can change depending on who you work with.

• Currently Breastfeeding (need to stop prior to transfer)
• Over the age of 40
• BMI greater than 32 or less than 18 ( Calculate your BMI HERE)
• Mental health concerns- Some clinics are more strict than others
• History of Preeclampsia
• Preterm labor, miscarriage, placenta previa, preterm labor: consult your fertility clinic
• Endometriosis, Ablation, PCOS, or Adenomyosis: consult your fertility clinic about your specific case

Generally Approved for Surrogacy

* General guidelines only. May be more or less strict depending on your provider

Finally, if you have these conditions you are most likely to be approved. This is of course if you don’t have one of the above conditions.

• Aged between 21-40
• BMI between 19-32
• Tubes tied
• Have HPV or Herpes ( May need to deliver via c-section if you have an outbreak when due)
• Previous c-section (no more than 4)
• Previous surrogacy
• Less than 5 previous prenancies
• 6-12 months post delivery of a previous pregnancy (THIS VARIES GREATLY BY CLINIC)

The more items you have in the above section and the less disqualifiers or potential disqualifier – the more likely it is that you will be approved.

Final Thoughts …

These are general guidelines regarding health conditions that affect your ability to be a surrogate. We recommend talking to your doctor before applying to become a surrogate. It is important to discuss all health conditions you have and how they may affect your ability to carry a healthy pregnancy to term. Remember, surrogate mother health requirements vary from agency to agency. Completing an application process will help determine whether you are physically and mentally fit to become a surrogate.