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10 Signs You’d Make a Great Surrogate

2021-07-30
Be a surrogate
Would you make a great surrogate?

Surrogacy empowers women to help those who are yearning to build their family. And more women qualify than you may realize. Are you among those who have what it takes to give the incredible gift of family? Read on to learn the 10 signs which indicate that you may make a wonderful surrogate.

Want to apply? Find the online application here.

1) You want to help others

The goal of surrogacy is to help build a family for someone else. While the experience of being a surrogate is wonderful, the true reward is helping someone achieve what might have otherwise been impossible.

2) You have a healthy lifestyle and medical history.

One of the most important qualifications for a surrogate is a healthy lifestyle and medical history. This helps ensure a healthy pregnancy for both you, the surrogate, and child you carry. We ask that our surrogates must:

  • Have a BMI below 35, and ideally below 30
  • Be a non-smoker living in a non-smoking home
  • Have no history of severe anxiety, depression or other mental illnesses

3) You are the right age

We look for surrogates between the age range of 21 and 39 years old, although surrogacy may be a viable option for women into their early 40s. Surrogates must be at least 21 years old to help ensure the necessary level of emotional maturity and responsibility to enter into the significant undertaking that is surrogacy.

4) You have already given birth to your own child(ren)

This standard is included in guidance from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) for gestational carriers and, practically speaking, is a requirement of all leading fertility clinics. Your prenatal and delivery records, indicating a history of uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries, will be required. Do not worry, our surrogate engagement team helps to track all required records down for you.

5) You are a good communicator

Part of being an awesome surrogate is just keeping everyone in the loop. During certain phases of your journey you will be asked to consistently check in with the agency and your intended parents. Timely and consistent communication will mean the world to your Intended Parents and thanks to our matching methodology, you should find it easy to communicate with one another.

6) You are financially stable

Reputable agencies, such as ConceiveAbilities, only work with women who are in a stable financial position. We work with you to ensure that your lifestyle is conducive to a healthy and low stress pregnancy. We consider multiple factors to determine financial stability and typically no one factor, such as whether you receive government assistance, is disqualifying. Our surrogate engagement team will work through specific questions with you regarding this or any other qualification as part of reviewing your registration form and getting to know you.

7) You are tenacious

Some journeys are as easy as pie: the surrogate becomes pregnant on the first transfer attempt, everyone is thrilled and there are no bumps along the way. While some journeys are like that, not all are. Sometimes there are bumps, disappointments, slowdowns, small challenges, or miscommunications along the way. A good surrogate is someone who can take it all in stride and focus on the bigger picture of the awesome thing she is doing for another family. She will, of course, have her fellow surrogates, her monthly mental health support group leader, dedicated Match Manager, and many other resources to help her through along the way.

8) You have a clean background

Simply put, you must not have any history of criminal activity or any significant pending legal disputes or credit problems. You get it. You are going to be carrying someone's baby. They want to know that you make good choices. If you have a small or very distant infraction on your record and are unsure of whether it is disqualifying, we will discuss that with you as we review your registration form.

9) You are supported by your friends and family

A surrogacy journey is work. There can be challenges. You will need a strong support system to help you along the way. If your friends and families are the type to support you at every turn, or if they already understand and respect your surrogacy decision, you’ll be all the better surrogate for having their support.

It is important to note that you do not have to be married or in a relationship to become a surrogate. Your support system could come from your family, friends, or your "tribe".

10) You want to join the sisterhood

When you become a surrogate, you not only become a part of a movement, you also join a community of other women who become your surrosisters. These women are there for you throughout your journey. You share in one another's highs and lows. You support one another, meet up for support groups and it is often the case that you remain close friends long after you have delivered as a surrogate.

In the end, your decision to become a surrogate is one that we will strive to make together, considering and balancing many factors but focused, in the end, only on whether surrogacy can be a healthy and successful experience for you.

Surrogacy can be an exhilarating journey. Few things can compare to the feeling of being responsible for another family’s happiness. If you feel you may make a wonderful surrogate after reading this post, complete this short registration form.

For more information on the surrogacy process, check out our page here.
If you want to learn more about the requirements to be a surrogate, visit the surrogate requirements page.

Interested in how much you would earn as a ConceiveAbilities surrogate? Check out our compensation calculator.

In this post, inspired by our earlier post for aspiring egg donors, we cover some of the qualifications for aspiring surrogates.