Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Surrogate
Becoming a surrogate is one of the most generous things that a woman can do for an individual or couple who is unable to create or grow their family without the help of someone else. Although surrogacy is not a quick and easy process, the vast majority of surrogates find it massively rewarding and love being able to share the joy of having a child with someone who cannot carry a pregnancy on their own. This quick guide will help you learn more about what the process entails and whether or not it’s right for you.
Surrogacy, Step by Step
The surrogacy process plays itself out over the course of four general phases, each with their own substeps:
1. Application
In order to be considered as a surrogate candidate, prospective applicants must first fill out the initial surrogate application, which will be reviewed by a surrogate coordinator to see if you qualify. Surrogates must fulfill several strict requirements, which are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all participating parties. One of the requirements is that you have successfully given birth in the past without any complications.
If you are approved, you will then be sent paperwork and complete a phone consultation with a coordinator, who will review your application in full. We will also coordinate to request medical records, including pregnancy records. Once the medical record phase is complete, a registered nurse reviews the file to determine eligibility.
2. Screening and Testing
Once the initial application process has commenced and you have been accepted to continue, you will go through several screenings and testing appointments. These tests will evaluate your overall health, mental health, and background.
3. Selection and Matching
If you have passed all of the screenings and tests, you’re now ready for the matching phase. Our surrogacy director will send your profile out to intended parents based on who is potentially a good fit with your preferences. You will receive an intended parent profile to decide if you’re interested in meeting the intended parent(s) over Skype along with our surrogacy director. The meeting will give you both a chance to decide once and for all if you want to work together. Once matched, you will go through a comprehensive medical evaluation at the intended parents’ fertility clinic and the surrogacy contract process will begin. At this point, you will also start receiving compensation.
4. Pregnancy and Delivery
Pregnancy via surrogacy is made possible through in vitro fertilization (IVF). The intended parents’ chosen eggs and sperm are fertilized in a lab, while the surrogate injects herself with fertility medications to get her hormones ready for pregnancy. The embryo is then transferred into the surrogate’s uterus. If successful, the surrogate will carry the baby for about nine months and then give birth to a healthy baby.
Learn More
To learn more about becoming a surrogate, contact Fertility Source Companies today.
