If you are thinking of becoming a surrogate, finding the right surrogacy agency can make becoming a surrogate straightforward and even easy. A professional and well-organized agency can guide you through the screening process, learn your preferences for intended parents, and match you with the right intended parents in the least amount of time possible. The surrogate recruitment staff at the agency should also develop a trusting relationship with you and make you feel like a true partner in the path to parenthood for your intended parents.
A few key steps are important in helping you become a surrogate:
- Take care of your health: Whereas this may seem obvious, surrogates should be especially careful in regard to their physical and mental health at the time of applying to become a surrogate. Part of the medical screening process includes checks for more routine care such as iron and blood sugar levels. If you have had any findings that are out of the normal range, this is the time to lower any risk of having any medical issues that could disqualify you from becoming a surrogate. Eating in a healthy manner and getting exercise are key at this time.
- Organize your prior delivery information: Most agencies will request your delivery records on your behalf to make the screening process easier. However, it is important that you remember the information that will make the collection of medical records possible, including prior delivery hospital and attending OBGYN names, city/state of the medical care, any prior miscarriages and abortions, medication usage, allergies, and present BMI. Your surrogacy agency will facilitate the process but your help in identifying the information is essential.
- Be prepared for a real journey: When you decide to become a surrogate, you need to be ready and committed to the surrogacy journey. The surrogacy agency is dedicating time and resources to pre-screen and verify if you are a qualified surrogate candidate. After the match, intended parent(s) place a great deal of hope in you helping to grow their family. Intended parents not only dedicate financial resources but they will often develop an emotional attachment that will hopefully grow as the journey progresses in a positive manner.
- Being open is essential: The initial screening process can feel very personal as intimate questions often need to be answered. This is simply part of the process and the more open you are with your agency and with the psychological and medical professionals that complete your screening, the better. Since medical records and testing is necessary in the process, the details will all come to light, but it will be easier to provide the information in advance to make the process more streamlined and for the agency to prepare accordingly.
- Trust the surrogacy agency: If you select a professional surrogacy agency, you will be led expertly through the screening process. There are necessary steps in the process that need to occur at the appropriate time, but your surrogacy agency should do most of the work and you simply provide the essential information to get the screening completed. Ask a potential agency how much you will have to do and what elements of the screening the agency case manager will lead. A surrogacy agency with personalized case management services is ideal.
We encourage all prospective surrogates to contact Capital Surrogacy and learn more about the process. Please complete the short contact form, we cannot wait to hear from you!
