Surrogacy is the gracious act of carrying a baby for someone else. The surrogate has no genetic ties and is not related in any way to the embryo she is carrying. Embryos may come from the intended mother and father or there might be an egg donor. A gestational carrier is used most often when the intended mother is capable of producing healthy eggs but can’t get pregnant due to damage to her uterus, medical risks, or old age.
What makes surrogate pregnancy very special is that a surrogate mother carries the baby for another woman who can’t get pregnant. With the use of In Vitro Fertilization, a fertilized egg is implanted in the surrogate mother’s uterus for the purpose of ending a successful pregnancy. This arrangement is a legal contract made between couples who have failed many times to get pregnant and their chosen surrogate agency and surrogate. It may also include the participation of an egg donor whose eggs will be retrieved and fertilized and then implanted into the surrogate mother’s uterus.
What does a Surrogate Mother receive?
A surrogate mother is given full attention and care to make sure that the implanted embryo reaches full term. All her needs and expenses brought about by the pregnancy are taken care of by her intended parents: from her prenatal needs, travel expenses (if needed), prescriptions, maternity clothes, childcare for appointments, medical care, and hospital bills. She must realize and understand that she has no right to the child for she has agreed in a written contract that her primary role is merely to carry the baby to full term.
Surrogate mothers are compensated well for all the pain, discomfort, and time they had gone through. All their hardships especially during labor and childbearing are not taken for granted. For there is no greater hardship than that of a woman giving birth. No generous amount can ever total what a surrogate mother has given.
Gestational Surrogates are widely popular today. It has been said that 750 babies every year are born using this gracious act. But finding the right surrogate mother can be a bit more complicated than anticipated by many.
Qualifications for a Surrogate Mother:
A surrogate mother must have the following qualification before she is matched to possible intended parents:
1. She must at least be 21 years of age and not older than 45 years old. The older a woman gets, the higher her chances are that she ends up having a high-risk pregnancy.
2. Must have given birth to at least one healthy baby prior to application as a surrogate mother and be parenting that child. This will give her important experience and knowledge of the difficulties that come with being pregnant.
3. Must be willing to take a psychological screening and pass it. A thorough psychological test will measure if the candidate is appropriate to be a surrogate mother. This uncovers any issues the surrogate mother may have regarding her motivations, expectations, and behavior toward the agreement. This a very important issue that must be made clear. Surrogate mothers must understand that they have no right to keep the baby after giving birth. She may get attached emotionally to the baby, but she has to give the baby up to her biological parents right after giving birth. All her time and efforts, pain and discomfort will be compensated.
4. She must be overall in great physical health. Other things include being a non-smoker and living in a smoke-free environment, free of STDs, BMI under 30, not taking current medications that may be deemed unsafe for a woman who is pregnant, having no preterm pregnancies, or other complications related to previous pregnancies.
5. Must have a strong support system at home who will support her in her decision to become a surrogate mother.
6. Must be willing to have a background check.
Once a surrogate mother has been approved, using all the information gathered about her: physical information, medical results, background check results, interview, and psychological screening results, she will then be matched and paired with future intended parents.
Are you interested in being a Surrogate instead of an Egg Donor?
If being a surrogate mother interests you or you have more questions. Please feel free to ask here OR contact Gayle East . We would love to tell you more about how you can make a difference as a gestational carrier.
We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.
What is Egg Donation, Can I be an Egg Donor, Egg Donation Process, Common Egg Donation Questions, Becoming an Egg Donor, Qualifying as an Egg Donor, Egg Donation, Egg Donor process, Why to go through an agency?, Egg Donation Overview.
