Surrogate Qualifications

See the requirements to become a surrogate mother.

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Fundamental Requirements

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Additional Requirements

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Screening Requirements

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Fundamental Requirements

 

Age Between 21 – 34

All surrogates MUST be at least 21 years old, since the legal age will be required upon signing the Surrogacy Contract with Intended Parents, which generally takes place in 8 to 10 weeks after the initial application.



BMI Between 17.5 – 29

BMI stands for Body Mass Index, which is a standard method to measure the ratio between height and weight. Calculate your BMI here (https://www.google.com/search?q=bmi+calculator). The normal range should be between 18 to 32 for the medical screening purpose, and a 30 BMI will be mandatory upon the physical screening, which usually takes place in 6 to 8 weeks after the initial application.



Has Given Birth At Least Once

Per ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) Guidelines, all surrogates must have given birth at least once before and preferably are currently raising at least one of her own child(ren). ASRM believes all surrogates must be experienced in pregnancy and delivery. Surrogates who have recently given birth maybe eligible to receive the FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer) Procedure 6 months after a vaginal delivery or 12 months after a C-Section delivery. This means surrogates can start the application process as early as around 4 months after a vaginal delivery or 10 months after a C-Section delivery.



No More Than Three (3) Deliveries or One (1) C-Sections

The maximum number of previous Vaginal Deliveries to qualify is Three (3), while the max number of prior C-section Deliveries to qualify is One (1). Based on our experience and the demand from our Intended Parents (IPs), surrogates with no prior C-Section deliveries who have 3 or fewer vaginal deliveries will have a significant advantage for matching with IPs and usually get matched more quickly.



U.S. Citizen and Resident of Surrogacy-Friendly State

Surrogacy laws and regulations vary significantly from state by state; some states are more surrogacy-friendly while others have limitations or legal hurdles even surrogacy is allowed. One key factor for surrogacy-friendly states is that Intended Parents can establish their parental rights through PBO (Pre-Birth Order). Surrogacy laws on the state level are constantly evolving, but as for now, only four states strictly prohibit surrogacy, which are New York, Louisiana, Michigan and Nebraska. Pacific Surrogacy USA would love with surrogates from ALL Surrogacy-Friendly States (Link to our Surrogacy Legal Map).



Non-Smoker & Smoke Free Living Conditions

Surrogates MUST quit smoking and it is strictly prohibited during the pregnancy journey. Also, surrogates should not be user of illicit or legal drugs. The physical clearance screening includes a blood test that meausres the nicotine and marijuana levels in the blood. The detection of smoking or use of drugs may result in failing to obtain the medical clearance letter.



No Mental Illness

Pacific Surrogacy USA prefers not to work with surrogates with mental illness history. However, we do partner with several IVF facilities that are willing to accept surrogates with mental illness history, provided that they are off the medication for mental illness for at least one year and are able to obtain a clearance letter from their OB/GYN doctors.



Additional Requirements

 

Background Check

Background Check will be conducted by Pacific Surrogacy USA during the intake process to ensure all prospects have no criminal records and any other records that Pacific Surrogacy USA deems inappropriate to become a surrogate.



Medical Records Screening

All surrogates MUST sign the Medical Records Release Consent Form (HIPPA FORM) to authorize Pacific Surrogacy to request, use and review their Medical Records such as prenatal OB/GYN records, Labor& Delivery records, Pap Smear Reports etc. Our medical coordinators and managers will perform a preliminary medical records screening with higher standards than most IVF clinics. If there is any complication or condition that we can’t determine, we will send the medical records to IVF facilities for the official medical records review. Surrogates must pass the preliminary medical records screening in order to proceed to the matching process.



Psychological Evaluation

A Psychological Evaluation will be conducted by licensed psychologists either in person or thorough phone/video conference after a successful match is determined. All surrogates must pass the Psychological Evaluation to ensure they are physically and mentally prepared for the surrogacy journey.



Clearance Visit / Physical Examination

All surrogates must undergo and pass a physical examination with the IVF facility that the Intended Parents have chosen to work with. The IVF facility will schedule a visit, usually between 7 to 15 days after a normal menstrual cycle begins. Surrogates must pass the physical screening to obtain the official medical clearance letter, which is required to proceed to the legal process of the surrogacy journey.



No Complications During Previous Pregnancy & Labor

All surrogates should be free of any serious complications or medical problems that may affect pregnancy and labor. There are some red flag conditions that will usually disqualify applicants to be eligible, such as: Post-Partum Depression within one year. Type I and II Diabetes Pregnancy Hypertension (high blood pressure) Ruptured Uterus Pre-term Delivery caused by Shortened Cervix However, some mild conditions such as pregnancy diabetes, past sexually transmitted diseases can vary case by case and most of the time, our medical coordinators will need to review the full detailed medical records to determine their eligibility to become a surrogate. Under normal circumstances, if the surrogates had a healthy pregnancy and delivery without any complications after their complicated pregnancy, they maybe likely to pass the medical records screening.



IUD Must Be Removed (Tubal Ligation Is Fine)

Prospects currently with any kind of birth control method, such as IUD, pills, Nuva Ring etc., will still qualify to become a surrogate. However, they should stop taking them or schedule to remove the IUD as soon as possible once the application process starts. Some IVF facilities may only schedule the physical screening (clearance visit) ONE or TWO normal menstrual cycles after the removal of the IUD device. However, tubal ligation will not be an issue, since gestational surrogates do not use their own egg in their surrogate pregnancies. Instead, they become pregnant by undergoing the FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer) Procedure.



Financially Stable

Per ASRM Guideline, financial motivation should not serve as the primary incentive for someone choosing to become a surrogate, even though there is no denying that it might play an important role for them in making the decision. Therefore, all surrogates must not receive any kind of government / federal aid or assistance during the surrogancy journey, upon the signing of the Surrogacy Contract with Intended Parents. This will not affect the assistance/aid of their families and common aids include food stamp and public housing. If a surrogate is receiving medical-related aid such as Medicare or Medicaid, the surrogate maybe able to continue receiving it, as long as they use the medical insurance Pacific Surrogacy provided for all surrogacy-related clinic visits.



No Tattoos / Piercings in the Past Six Months

Please noted that having a tattoo or piercing the Last 6 months does NOT disqualify an applicant from becoming a surrogate. The applicant will need to demonstrate that the service was provided by a licensed store within the US which used disinfected needles without any infectious diseases.



Surrogates Must Also Pass

 

Background Check

Background Check will be conducted by Pacific Surrogacy USA during the intake process to ensure all prospects have no criminal records and any other records that Pacific Surrogacy USA deems inappropriate to become a surrogate.



Medical Records Screening

All surrogates MUST sign the Medical Records Release Consent Form (HIPPA FORM) to authorize Pacific Surrogacy to request, use and review their Medical Records such as prenatal OB/GYN records, Labor& Delivery records, Pap Smear Reports etc. Our medical coordinators and managers will perform a preliminary medical records screening with higher standards than most IVF clinics. If there is any complication or condition that we can’t determine, we will send the medical records to IVF facilities for the official medical records review. Surrogates must pass the preliminary medical records screening in order to proceed to the matching process.



Psychological Evaluation

A Psychological Evaluation will be conducted by licensed psychologists either in person or thorough phone/video conference after a successful match is determined. All surrogates must pass the Psychological Evaluation to ensure they are physically and mentally prepared for the surrogacy journey.



Clearance Visit / Physical Examination

All surrogates must undergo and pass a physical examination with the IVF facility that the Intended Parents have chosen to work with. The IVF facility will schedule a visit, usually between 7 to 15 days after a normal menstrual cycle begins. Surrogates must pass the physical screening to obtain the official medical clearance letter, which is required to proceed to the legal process of the surrogacy journey.