Surrogacy is a beautiful journey where the surrogate carries a baby for another person or couple who cannot conceive or carry a pregnancy themselves. It is a profound act of generosity and love, offering the gift of parenthood to those who might otherwise be unable to experience it.
So, why would someone choose to be a surrogate? Many surrogates are motivated by the joy of helping others create a family, the sense of fulfillment from making a significant difference in someone’s life, and sometimes, the financial compensation that can support their own family’s needs.
However, not everyone can become a surrogate. There are specific surrogacy qualifications and requirements to ensure the health and safety of both the surrogate and the baby. These criteria include health and medical conditions, BMI, lifestyle choices, previous pregnancy history, age, living situation, and financial stability. Each of these factors plays a crucial role in creating a safe and successful surrogacy experience.
In the following sections, we will dive into the disqualifications for surrogacy, exploring why these requirements are so important.
7 Disqualifications for Surrogacy
Surrogacy agencies are often ridiculed for having such strict requirements. However, surrogacy requirements are in place to minimize risk factors and ensure the highest likelihood of success for everyone involved.
Intended parents are spending a large amount of money on this process and putting a lot of trust in our agency to help them.
These requirements prioritize the safety of the surrogate and the baby throughout the entire experience; working to help ensure the smoothest possible surrogacy journey.
Wondering what factors may disqualify you from becoming a surrogate with The Fertility Agency?
The main disqualifiers include:
- Health & Medical Conditions Preventing Surrogacy
- BMI Is Too High or Too Low
- Smoking, Drug, or Alcohol Use
- No Previous Pregnancies/Births
- Not Within Age Limits for Surrogacy
- Unstable Living Situation
- Not Financially Stable
1. Health & Medical Conditions Preventing Surrogacy
While some health and medical conditions can be case by case situations, there are many we are frequently questioned about that commonly cause women to be disqualified.
Many common health conditions preventing surrogacy relate to pregnancy complications or conditions that cause certain women to be consider elevated risk. Additionally, conditions that lead to or cause difficulty getting pregnant are usually disqualifications.
These include:
- Preeclampsia
- Gestational Diabetes (If medicine controlled)
- Multiple C-sections (more than 2)
- Multiple miscarriages
- Premature delivery (before 37 weeks)
- PCOS
- Endometriosis
These are viewed as surrogacy medical disqualifications as they would increase the health and safety risks associated with the process for both the surrogate and the baby.
There are also some common, not directly pregnancy related health conditions that are unqualifying due to their potential impacts on the surrogacy process.
This consists of:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Bowel issues
- Cardiac issues
- MS
Overall, it is important for surrogates to be healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is essential for a healthy, full-term pregnancy.
If you still have a specific question related to a medical condition after reading this section, please contact us.
Mental Health Conditions
There is often confusion surrounding whether mental health conditions are disqualifiers or if it is just the medications for them.
For most conditions, the medications are the factor that determines if the mental illness is a disqualifier.
There are a couple of exceptions that are automatic disqualifications:
- Severe Panic Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Schizophrenia
If you took medications for mental illness during a previous pregnancy, that would be an automatic disqualification. You also must be willing to stop taking the medication during the surrogacy journey. This is due to the potential negative impacts of these medications on pregnancy.
Regardless of if you suffer from a mental condition or not, it is important to make sure that you are emotionally and mentally stable enough for this process as well as having a great support system in place.
2. BMI Is Too High or Too Low
One requirement set by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine that we must adhere to are BMI requirements for surrogates. Not only are these set by ASRM, but they are followed by all U.S. fertility clinics.
Surrogates must have a BMI between 18 to 32. BMI is calculated using one’s weight and height. Free BMI calculators are available online to calculate your own BMI.
When it comes to surrogacy, maintaining a healthy BMI is crucial for several reasons:
- Health of the Surrogate: A healthy BMI ensures that the surrogate is in good physical condition, reducing the risk of complications during pregnancy. Both underweight and overweight surrogates can face increased risks such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, and preeclampsia.
- Successful Pregnancy: A balanced BMI can improve the chances of a successful pregnancy. It helps in maintaining hormonal balance, which is essential for conception and carrying the pregnancy to term.
- Baby’s Health: The health of the baby is intricately linked to the health of the surrogate. A healthy BMI can contribute to better fetal development and reduce the risk of birth complications.
If you are close to the requirements for BMI, please still apply to become a surrogate!
3. Smoking, Drug, or Alcohol Use
Another factor that can impact both one’s health and ability to qualify for surrogacy is their smoking, drug, and alcohol usage. It is well known that these substances can have substantial negative impacts on pregnancy.
Of course, one must agree not to use any of the aforementioned substances during the surrogacy journey, but on top of that, your prior usage matters, with some conditions being automatic disqualifications.
Sadly, a history of addiction or abuse is an automatic disqualification due to safety risks. Additionally, if you smoked and/or used alcohol or drugs during a previous pregnancy, that would also be an automatic disqualification due to safety risks.
If you are a former smoker and did not smoke during any previous pregnancies, you may still be able to qualify! You just must be tobacco free for at least one year prior to becoming a surrogate.
For marijuana usage, as with alcohol usage, that would not be an automatic disqualification if you did not use it during a previous pregnancy and are willing to stop using it throughout the process.
As well as during the process, if you are considering becoming a surrogate, it is important to prepare your body by maintaining a healthy substance-free lifestyle prior to the start of the journey.
The healthier you are, the safer the experience will be for both you and the baby.
4. No Previous Pregnancies/Births
A qualification that often surprises some applicants is that you must have at least one previous successful birth to be eligible.
This is because we want to make sure that you have a healthy pregnancy history and display that you can carry to term (for the health of you and the baby).
As stated, we try to prioritize making the complete process smooth and safe for everyone involved.
Looking through your past pregnancy history and having your OB confirm that you would be a good fit for surrogacy, both which require you to have a past pregnancy, are just some of the ways we try to ensure this positive experience and outcome.
As discussed, there are many pregnancy complications that disqualify women becoming a surrogate. The follow is a list of just a few of the many complications that may disqualify you:
- Toxemia
- Preeclampsia
- Preterm Labor
- Incompetent cervix
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension
On a different note, having a previous successful pregnancy shows us that you understand some of the physical and emotional demands associated with pregnancy.
All of this helps us make sure you are fit for this experience!
5. Not Within Age Limits for Surrogacy
Unsurprisingly, there are age limits for surrogacy in place to make sure you would physically be a healthy fit for surrogacy. Following the standards set by the ASRM and U.S. fertility clinics, we accept surrogates ages 23-40.
We start accepting surrogates at age 23 as we want to ensure that they are emotionally ready to handle this process.
Some people are shocked that we allow surrogate mothers to be age 40, with many considering this a geriatric pregnancy; however, we service gestational surrogacy.
This means the surrogate does not use her own eggs and does not share a genetic connection with the child she carries. Many women can carry a healthy pregnancy in their early 40s, especially when they are not using their own eggs.
We cannot accept surrogates’ way over our age limit as this adds additional health risks for both the surrogate and the baby.
Nevertheless, if you are an aspiring surrogate a little older than 40 with a very recent successful pregnancy (in the last 1-3 years), or a little younger than 23 with a successful pregnancy and stable lifestyle, we still recommend applying as we may be able to accommodate you!
6. Unstable Living Situation
Not only must you be emotionally and medically fit enough to become a surrogate, but we also need to make sure you are in a stable living environment.
Instability in terms of a lack of support and unsafe conditions in the home are not only unsafe for the surrogate mother, but also for the baby, and we would not be able to allow these additional risks.
Furthermore, instability in terms of actions like frequent moving as well would be a disqualification as it may lead to difficulties for the intended parents such as legality issues. Anything that would increase stress levels for the surrogate could lead to potential risks or complications.
To ensure you are in a stable living situation, we do conduct background checks on you as well as those you live with.
We require you to have a stable support system in place. This does not mean that you need to be married, however, you need to have people around you that can help you with this process and are supportive of you and surrogacy.
If you are going through turmoil in your relationship (such as a separation, divorce, etc.) and think that may disqualify you, please contact us.
7. Not Financially Stable
Along the same lines as being in a stable living environment, we require surrogates to be financially stable.
The main reason we require financial stability is so you can focus on the needs and health of yourself and the baby, without the additional weight of financial stressors. You are still allowed to work during the surrogacy journey, if it is not a job that puts you or the baby at risk. Any lost wages from time spent traveling for the surrogacy or time off surrounding the birth will be covered by the intended parents.
If you have tons of debt and are doing this for financial reasons, we may disqualify you because we want surrogates here for humanitarian reasons.
From our experience, it causes issues when a surrogate only sees it as a paycheck. As mentioned, we prioritize the experience of everyone involved and qualifying surrogates who solely see this as a financial opportunity often leads to an unpleasant experience for the intended parents.
In terms of financial or governmental aid, you would need to be able to come off all aid while financially stable/ having a full-time income coming into the home via you or your spouse (not be dependent on any aid or surrogacy compensation).
You can apply while on government assistance, but you are not able to be on government assistance when acting as a surrogate because it can mess up the parents’ ability to have their parental rights established. So, you would have to cancel your government assistance before we can match you.
Again, all these surrogacy qualifications are in place to minimize risk factors while prioritizing a successful, smooth experience for everyone involved.
Qualify for Surrogacy at The Fertility Agency
Surrogacy requirements play a vital role in ensuring a safe and healthy journey for both the surrogate and the baby. These criteria collectively ensure a secure and nurturing environment for a successful surrogacy experience. If you believe you may qualify to become a surrogate and are interested, consider checking out The Fertility Agency!
Not only have we been around since 2004 and have helped bring over 1,100+ babies into the world, but our staff consists of former surrogates and intended parents who would love to help guide you through this beautiful journey.
If you would like more information, you can contact us or schedule a call with one of our coordinators.
