Requirements To Be A Surrogate

Physical health requirements ensure minimal risk to yourself and the baby. Of course, every surrogacy agency, like Creative Family Connections, and every IVF clinic has different guidelines and requirements to become a surrogate.

Every woman considering the path to surrogacy should be aware of the journey’s psychological and emotional components. When you become a surrogate, you will attend doctor’s appointments throughout your journey and, in most cases, commit to developing a close relationship with the intended parents.

While you juggle responsibilities with your everyday life and family, you will also experience hormonal changes and emotions associated with any pregnancy. A mental health professional who is specifically experienced with surrogacy journeys will explain what you can expect moving forward and help you prepare for the various emotional components in a surrogate pregnancy.

At Creative Family Connections, we are proud to work with an incredible group of healthy, educated, fun, and sincere women who decide to become surrogates. It takes a compassionate, exceptional person to become a surrogate. Our team has the honor of helping you give to another family in one of the most selfless and loving ways possible.

So long as you do not reside in a “red-light” state, your next step in starting the surrogacy process will be to contact a surrogacy professional or surrogacy agency. If you decide to work with an agency that will guide you on your journey, you can expect to start by filling out an application and several forms to confirm that you are eligible. A surrogacy professional will then speak with you about the process and answer any lingering questions you may have.

Before becoming a surrogate and undergoing the embryo transfer, there are several steps to take for a successful surrogacy journey. Assuming you decide to work with Creative Family Connections, you will meet your intended parents via videoconference with the help of a journey coordinator if you decide to work with an agency that hand holds through the process to guide you through this important first meeting! If everyone feels comfortable moving forward, you will be required to undergo psychological and medical screenings to confirm your readiness to become a “surrogate mother” and begin a surrogacy journey. Whenever the clinic’s process permits, Creative Family Connections prefers to complete psychological screenings before you meet your intended parents as part of the pre-screening process.

Before starting the medications for the cycling process of a surrogacy journey, you will complete the surrogacy contract. You will have your own, independent surrogacy attorney (paid for by the intended parents) to review the contract with you, negotiate terms with the intended parents’ attorney, and counsel you throughout your journey.

• ASRM guidelines allow for a surrogate to be up to 45-years-old. However, most IVF clinics require that a first-time surrogate deliver before she turns 44.

• No more than 5 prior pregnancies
• A 6th pregnancy and delivery would be a surrogate candidate’s last.
• Exceptions have been made for repeat surrogates on a case-by-case basis.
• Had no more than 3 prior C-sections
  Note: Some clinics limit to no more than 2 prior C-sections, but there are many who accept 3 prior.

• No delivery of a singleton before 37 weeks. Exception: If someone had a singleton delivery at 36 weeks, but had several full-term (37 weeks or later) pregnancies afterwards, they may still be able to be pre-approved.
• No delivery of multiples before 35 weeks. Exception: If someone had twins before 32 weeks, but had a full-term (37 weeks or later) singleton pregnancy afterwards, they may still be able to be pre-approved.
• The best predictor of a safe surrogacy pregnancy are prior pregnancies.
  Note: The specific requirements vary by IVF clinic.

• A select few clinics will consider 35% and below on a case-by-case basis.
• Many clinics cap the top limit lower at 32 or below.

• Candidates must have stable income or be in financially stable homes with a partner or parents.
• Surrogate candidates are not required to have their own health insurance policy, so long as health is prioritized – Many existing health insurance policies exclude maternity care for a gestational surrogate. Interestingly, in early 2019, Nevada was the first state to pass legislation that prohibits “an insurer from denying certain coverage for maternity care because the insured acts as a gestational carrier…” Go Nevada!

• We only match surrogates who live in a state where compensated surrogacy is legal. Visit our US Surrogacy Law Map™ for details about your state.

• If you were able to manage your gestational diabetes with dietary restrictions alone, you can still qualify to be a surrogate.

• This would include major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis, or a significant anxiety disorder and no current use or dependency on psychiatric medications, including all SSRIs
• A GC candidate must be off all SSRIs for at least 3 to 6 months (varies by IVF clinic) with prescriber approval before medical and psych screening occurs.

• History of nicotine and marijuana use when not pregnant is considered on a case-by-case basis
• It is typically required that a surrogate candidate be smoke-free for at least 1 year before applying to be a surrogate. Vaping nicotine must be discontinued 3-6 months before medical screening – This policy varies by IVF clinic. A candidate with a history of infrequent marijuana use when not pregnant may be approved on a case-by-case basis depending on the IVF clinic and matching will depend on the perspective of the intended parents.

This would be in the event that 1 embryo splits into 2

This would be in the event of catastrophic defects where there is no chance for quality of life.