One of the requirements for becoming a surrogate is a “successful term pregnancy." What this means is that to be a surrogate you need to have had given birth before. Many women want to help complete another family even if they do not meet this requirement, but we must include it for several reasons.
Deciding to become a surrogate can be a life-changing decision, but it’s important to know the entire process before committing. One of the first things prospective surrogates will look up are the basic surrogate requirements before applying. Some of these are set by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. ASRM is an organization that ensures ethical standards are upheld through the practice and advancement of reproductive medicines. In order to be approved by this organization, our surrogacy agency, Shared Conception must uphold their requirements, one of which is that a woman must have had a successful term pregnancy prior to being a surrogate.
While surrogacy is often described as a journey, pregnancy is a journey in itself. Some women find a love for pregnancy, having an easy time adapting to their changing body and having little trouble with delivery. While some meet challenges, battling hormonal differences and dealing with aches and discomfort throughout the process. What it comes down to is that you don’t know what your experience will be like until it happens, and to be a qualified surrogate, we need women who know first-hand what pregnancy, labor, and delivery entails.
Intended parents come to Shared Conception because they want to build their family. Deciding on the path of surrogacy is many times the result of infertility. One in six couples is affected by infertility, and it is equally a women’s issue as well as a men’s issue. We also work with single individuals and same-sex couples who are in need of assisted reproduction to help build their family.
Most times heterosexual couples do not know they’re infertile until they’re trying to get pregnant. After unsuccessful attempts at becoming pregnant, couples may seek medical help where they may discover that they are unable to conceive or unable to bring a child to term.
If a surrogate has never been pregnant or carried a child to term before then she may have limited knowledge of her own fertility. This information is important to intended parents who are ready to emotionally and financially invest in a surrogacy journey.
Overall, these guidelines are put into place to make sure our surrogates can knowingly say they are comfortable with the process and that they are positive of their decision to become a surrogate. Pregnancy history is one of the key factors in evaluating a potential surrogate for both our surrogacy agency and intended parents. While this guideline is set by the ASRM, we believe that it is necessary to be set forth for potential surrogates as it offers valuable information as to if a woman qualifies to be a surrogate. Shared Conception is ready to help you embark on this journey. Give us a call.
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