How to Become a Surrogate
Learning about how to become a surrogate can be a daunting task for any mother. With the amount of surrogacy agencies, which one will you choose? Why have you decided to search for how to become a surrogate? What are your motivations for being a surrogate? Will you try to go independent with your surrogacy or will you seek the help of a solid surrogate agency? The good news is, our agency will show you how to become a surrogate in 5 steps.
1. Find a surrogacy agency that is right for you
Surrogacy is a long and difficult journey for many surrogate mothers and intended parents alike. We search for surrogate mothers who are committed to the process of surrogacy and will see this through. If you know your reasonings for why you want to be a surrogate, you will find an agency that is right for you. If money is your main motivation for being a surrogate, then our agency may not be the right fit for you. As mentioned, the surrogacy process can be long and difficult and you will need to be ready to go the distance.
2. Decide what kinds of Intended Parents you want to carry for
When you are looking for how to become a surrogate, make sure you know what kind of Intended parents you are wanting. If you don’t have any specific wants or dislikes, then any family is right for you. But if carrying for a family who specifically has problems with infertility- that will be an important factor for you. If you would like to choose a family that has a similar lifestyle to you or who’s location is close, those are important as well. What are your beliefs in termination or fetal reduction? These views are important and must be aligned with the proper Intended parents so there are no issues later on. At Made in the USA Surrogacy, we make sure to match couples based on the factors above and much more.
3. Decide to be in it for the long-haul
Life happens, and we understand this. It’s why we encourage mothers looking for how to become a surrogate to know that surrogacy is a process. Finding the right Intended Parents is a careful planning process for your surrogate agency. You will be selected based on where your location is, what your job is, or what age you are. It may be important to parents whether you are an experienced candidate or not. It may be important that you have had a certain number of pregnancies already. Either way, the matching process could be longer than expected. Even after being matched, records review and medical screening could take as long as 3-4 months depending on the IVF clinic. Whether you will need 1 or 3 tries for embryo transfer may also play a role in how long your process is. When you’re looking at how to become a surrogate, realize that the process can be lengthy.
4. Make sure your own health is in good shape
It’s difficult for our agency to have to deny willing surrogate candidates, but we do it every day due to many factors. Health and pregnancy history is important. We need to make sure your BMI is below 30 and that you are keeping in good health. Intended parents will want to know what your average diet looks like, and whether you will make healthy choices for eating while pregnant.
5. Be ready to track down your doctor and hospital records
It cannot be understated how important medical records are for the surrogacy process. If you had 2-3 places where you gave birth, we will need the names and numbers of doctors involved and facilities. This helps us track down your medical records. We have to have a full medical file on your previous pregnancies, both pre-natal and hospital in order to fully clear you to become a surrogate. If you’re wondering how to become a surrogate, make sure you have your medical information on hand so we can get your records as quickly as possible to get your process moving.
