What are the steps to becoming a surrogate?
The following steps provide you with information about what to expect from the time you begin considering becoming a surrogate, the steps on how to become a surrogate, through your delivery day and ensuring a safe & swift recovery.
CONDUCT SURROGACY RESEARCH
First, you will need to find out how to become a surrogate mother; research the process online and offline: what are the steps of the journey, compensation, and immerse in other surrogate stories/speak to surrogates who have already successfully completed the process.
Here are a few to get you started.
Confirm you meet the requirments
As most agencies, we follow the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidelines for confirming a candidate meets the requirements for becoming a surrogate mother. The full requirements list is long however here are the top 3 most considered ones:
- BMI – must have a 30 BMI or lower,
- Financial Stability – not on government assistance,
- Stability – strong network of support.
APPLY & QUALIFY As a surogate
Now that the question “how do you become a surrogate” has no more secrets for you, you will be ready to start the application process itself:
- Fill-out the prescreen form
- Schedule a phone call with SurrogateFirst within 24 hours
- Fill out the full Application
- Schedule a full intake interview with the agency
- Complete agency documents including agency contract
- Turn in the required documents (ID, Paystubs, etc)
- Complete background and drug testing
- Medical History
- Review including previous OBGYN records and labor record and delivery records for each previous pregnancy
- Complete or provide a Pap smear dated within 12 months
- Obtain an OB Clearance form
2-6 weeks
MATCH WITH INTENDED PARENTS
- Approve IP profile – IP approves your profile
- Your records go to clinic
- Clinic approves your records
- Match meeting is completed
- Introduced to your Case Manager (CM)
2-8 Weeks
Complete the
MEDICAL SCREENING
Schedule IVF clinic visit with the physician, who will speak with you in detail and perform a surrogacy information assessment.
The work up varies from clinic to clinic but typically includes:
- Vaginal ultrasound (a probe is inserted into the vagina enabling the technician to look at your uterus for polyps, scar tissue and lining thickness)
- Physical and Pap smear
- Hysteroscopy (a procedure where a small camera is placed in the uterus to look at the uterine cavity)
- Medical instruction of the IVF cycle, injections, medication use and embryo transfer
1-4 Weeks
START LEGAL CONTRACTS & CLEARANCE
- Contact Attorney
- IP attorney will draft a contract
- You and your attorney will review, approve/make changes
- IPs and their attorney will approve
- Everyone signs the contracts
- Attorneys will give legal clearance to the clinic
1-2 Months
receive
the EMBRYO TRANSFER
- You and your travel companion will travel to the IVF clinic’s city the night before the transfer.
- Attend Embryo Transfer
- Return to hotel for 0-48 hours of bed rest depending on IVF Clinic
- Return home
3-4 days
the 30 weeks
following the release to OB
Start the Prebirth order contract (PBO)
The Pre-Birth Order is the 2nd Legal Contract
between 15-20 weeks of pregnancy
