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 through your delivery day and ensuring a safe & swift recovery.
CONDUCT SURROGACY RESEARCH
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 surrogate requirements. 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
- 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
