How to become a surrogate mother

Understanding the Emotional, Legal, and Practical Aspects of Surrogacy

Surrogacy is not a new concept or we can say uncommon to anyone. Becoming a surrogate mother is not easy as it is the most crucial and complex decision as it is both emotionally and legally influenced. In general terms, it is carrying a pregnancy of another individual or couple who are not able to conceive on their own. Being a surrogate is a helping hand to a couple for making them live their dream of parenthood. The journey requires you to consider every aspect so that you can meet specific criteria and follow the required legal procedure.

Here’s a detailed guide on how to become a surrogate mother:

Understanding Surrogacy

Surrogacy is a process when a surrogate mother commonly a woman is ready to carry a child of another individual or couple who are not able to conceive. Mainly, two types of surrogacy are taken up by couples are-

Traditional Surrogacy: In traditional surrogacy, a mother is related to the baby genetically as her own eggs are used for fertilization. She carries the child with her consent and then hands over the baby to the intended parents after giving birth. As compared to Gestational surrogacy, it is less common as it accounts for roughly 10% of surrogacy arrangements.
Gestational Surrogacy: In this surrogacy, a surrogate mother is not related to the baby genetically as the embryo is created in this process. With the help of IVF (In vitro fertilization) an eggs and sperms of intended parents or donors is used for creating embryos. The embryo is transferred to the surrogate mother and carries the baby till the date of delivery.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), about 90% of surrogacy cases in the U.S. are gestational surrogacies, where the surrogate is not genetically related to the child.

Qualifying to Become a Surrogate Mother

Certain specific requirements need to be accomplished before embarking on the journey or surrogacy. The requirements could vary from one another based on agency and clinic. Some common eligible criteria involve-

Age: The age of women for surrogacy (Surrogate mother) should be between 21-40 as it is considered to be the most optimal age for getting pregnant or having a healthy pregnancy.
Health: Another significant aspect for surrogates is being physically and mentally fit and healthy. You should carry a history of healthy pregnancy and a stable lifestyle so that no complications can take place in the process of surrogacy. If you are already prone to conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, and obesity, you may be disqualified for surrogacy.
Previous Pregnancy: In several surrogacy programs, it is needed that surrogates have given birth to at least one child without any complications. Their motive is to ensure that a woman with pregnancy has a better understanding of the physical demands and emotional well-being of pregnancy.
Psychological Screening: Emotional stability is something less talked about but has an immense impact on pregnancy. Thus, a psychological evaluation is carried out to ensure that the surrogates are emotionally viable prepared for the surrogacy process, and well-versed with its potential challenges.
No History of Substance Abuse: surrogates should have a clean history with respect to any alcohol consumption, drug intake, or any criminal record.

Choosing the Type of Surrogacy

After meeting the initial and basic criteria, you are eligible to decide whether you want to opt for traditional surrogacy or gestational surrogacy. As we know, gestational surrogacy is highly preferred nowadays as it helps keep you away from legal and emotional complexities or problems that may arise when the surrogate mother is related to the baby genetically.

Choosing a Surrogacy Agency or Independent Arrangement

You have both options validated for you that are meant for your surrogacy. You can choose to work through any option as per your need such as a surrogacy agency or pursue an independent arrangement with intended parents. Let’s see what each option provides-

Surrogacy Agency:

surrogacy agencies help in identifying intended parents and make the connection with potential surrogates. They ensure that routine procedure is followed by both parties and they are provided with medical, psychological, and legal support throughout the journey. They also assist in screening, contracts, and compensation processes.

Pros

Will avail professional guidance and support.
Will attain assistance with medical care and legal contracts.
Will ensure that emotional support is provided and acts as mediation between both intended parents and the surrogates with an improvement in communication.

Cons:

It proves to be costly as agency fees are high generally.
Moreover, perceptions of people differ but most people think that agencies do complicate the process of surrogacy.

Independent Surrogacy

in this surrogacy, a surrogate mother is in direct connection with the intended parent without any involvement of an agency. Moreover, this surrogacy required more legal and research planning.

Pros

Have a low cost comparatively as no agency is involved and no extra fee has to be paid.
Direct approach and communication with parents lead to transparency and trust.

Cons:

Lack of emotional support and mediation leads to tension or stress among parties.
Legal complexities could take place if contracts are not established properly.

Medical and Psychological Screening

After choosing an agency or making the required arrangements with the intended parents, medical screenings are a must for surrogate mothers. It helps in assessing both the physical and psychological health required for carrying a pregnancy. The screenings involve-

A physical examination and blood tests are conducted to check out any medical issues or infections, if persist.
An ultrasound is carried including other tests helping to assess that the uterus is healthy and suitable for carrying a pregnancy.
Psychological evaluations are conducted to ensure that you are emotionally stable and mentally fit for a surrogacy process.

Surrogate mothers should also be screened or examined for mental health disorders, STIs, and any other family history that could lead to risks during pregnancy.

Legal Process

The legal process is one of the most important aspects of surrogacy. Legal issues can vary by jurisdiction, and both the surrogate and the intended parents must be protected throughout the process.

Surrogacy Contract:

A legal surrogacy contracted is drafted for both parties outline their roles, expectations, rights, obligations and responsibilities. This is under the provision of lawyers having their specialization in reproductive law assuring that it is comprehensive and valid.

Compensation: the contract will provide all the details regarding the financial obligation of the intended parents such as compensation paid to the surrogate including travel expenses, lost wages, and medical expenses.
Parentage: It is another pivotal aspect termed legal parentage. This document allows intended parents to exercise their rights as this ensures that intended parents will be legal parents of the child after he is born and the surrogate will have no legal right or claim to the child.

Pre-Birth Order:

In some jurisdictions, the intended parents can obtain a pre-birth order, which legally establishes them as the parents of the child before the birth.

Fertility Treatment

After getting done with your legal process, the next step that you need to undergo is your fertility treatments. This includes gestational surrogacy and embryo transfer while the procedure involves as following-

Surrogates uterus is prepared with hormonal treatment for implantation
The embryo is transferred into the surrogate’s uterus.
Need to wait for around 2 weeks for a pregnancy test and confirm implantation.

After the successful implantation of the embryo, the surrogate mother could begin their pregnancy.

Pregnancy and Prenatal Care

After getting your embryo implantation successfully, a surrogate will undergo some regular prenatal visits so that a healthy pregnancy is assured. This included:

Monthly or more frequent medical check-ups.
Ultrasounds to monitor fetal development.
Nutritional and lifestyle guidance to support both the surrogate and the baby.
Psychological support, such as surrogacy, can sometimes be emotionally challenging.

Birth and Postpartum Care

The surrogates deliver the baby to the ntended parents after the baby is born as per their contract. In the birth process, it is majorly arranged as per the preferences of both intended parents and surrogates. This also included tha choice of both whether they want their surrogate mother to be present at the time of birth or not.

After delivery of the baby, post-birth legal procedures are also required to be followed which indicates that intended parents are legally recognized as the parents of their child.
Surrogates also need follow-up care and counseling so that they can easily accommodate and adjust to their emotional disbalances after their pregnancy.

Emotional and Psychological Support

After becoming a surrogate, you need to go through several psychological and emotional aspects which are normal during and after pregnancy. Thus, it is important for a surrogate to have the following-

Communication is key, you need to be open with the intended parents so that you can develop a healthy relationship and mutual understanding throughout the process.
You can also connect with support groups, where surrogates will connect with you who have undergone some similar experiences.
Emotional challenges can be met with mental health support or counseling.

Compensation for Surrogates

Fair compensation needs to be paid to surrogates which depends on various factors such as agency policies, location, and experience. On average, surrogates are compensated for-

Medical expenses and prenatal care.
Travel expenses if required.
Lost wages if the pregnancy requires time off work.
A base compensation fee for carrying the child, typically ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 or more depending on the country and circumstances.

Surrogates may also receive additional compensation for any complications or services provided (like the use of egg donors or additional pregnancies).

Statistical Record

Success Rates:

The success rate for gestational surrogacy lies from 50% to 75% which depends on several factors such as the age and health of egg donors
The success rate of single embryo transfer is higher especially when the egg donor is young and healthy.

Number of Surrogates:

The number of surrogates used per year in the US is around 750-1000 surrogates yearly. The number has grown at a steady rate over the past decade with an increase or rise in IVF treatments.
Moreover, surrogacy demand is rising globally, particularly in countries like Georgia, Ukraine, and India where the cost is low for surrogacy services.

The success of IVF and Surrogacy:

Legal and Parental Issues:

In the US, more than 20% of states have their specific laws and jurisdiction that govern surrogacy contracts leading to legal issues related to surrogacy.
Moreover, in various counties surrogacy is banned like Germany and France, while countries like India have relaxed rules which have become stricter now as per the enforcement of law.

Exercise Tips for Mental and Physical Well-Being

On your first visit to the clinic, you will receive a consultation with a specialist.

Conclusion

Becoming a surrogate mother is a deeply meaningful journey that requires careful consideration of your physical, emotional, and legal well-being. It can offer a unique and rewarding experience, helping people who are unable to have children of their own. It’s important to work with trusted professionals, such as surrogacy agencies, legal advisors, and medical teams, to ensure a successful and positive experience for both you and the intended parents.