There’s nothing like the feeling of helping a loved one reach their family-building dreams. When you can give them the priceless gift of carrying their child, it’s an experience unlike everything else.
Whether you’ve offered to be a loved one’s surrogate or someone you love has broached the idea to you, your first step should always be learning more about this process. Being a surrogate for a family member or friend is a beautiful journey, but it’s not one to jump into without proper research.
Fortunately, Central PA Surrogacy is here to help. Even if you’ve already found an intended parent to carry for, you’ll still need professional support to ethically and legally complete your surrogacy journey. Our team is happy to guide you through being a surrogate for a friend or family member in Pennsylvania, whatever your personal situation.
To learn more about becoming a surrogate for a family member or friend with our surrogacy program, give us a call at 814-237-7900 or contact us online.
Can You Be a Surrogate for a Family Member or Friend?
Every woman approaches being a surrogate for family or friends with a different level of knowledge. In fact, many ask us, “Can you be a surrogate for a sibling, friend or other loved one? Is that even legal?”
Yes. Here in Pennsylvania, surrogacy is a legal and ethical way to add a child to a family, regardless of the existing connection between a surrogate and her intended parents. As long as you both meet surrogacy requirements and enter into this agreement with consent, it can be a beautiful experience for you both.
However, being a surrogate mother for a family member or friend will come with unique challenges. If you take this path together, your relationship will forever be changed. It will likely reach new levels of intimacy with all of the medical processes involved in surrogacy, and the expectations and stress involved in surrogacy can put new tension on your existing friendship. Your psychological evaluation can be even more helpful in an identified surrogacy journey, because it will allow you and your loved one to talk through all these possibilities before moving forward with your partnership.
Contact our professionals today to learn more about the considerations of being a surrogate for a sibling, friend or other loved one in Pennsylvania.
How to Become a Surrogate Mother for a Family Member or Friend
Every surrogacy journey will be different, and yours will be determined by your surrogacy goals and preferences. It’s important that you and your loved one share the same plans for your surrogacy before getting started.
When you contact Central PA Surrogacy, our team of professionals will talk to you both about your wants and needs and help you create a step-by-step guide for your upcoming journey. Usually, you’ll follow the steps below:
Step 1: Meet Surrogacy Requirements.
Before being a gestational surrogate for a friend or family member, you must first meet the requirements to be a surrogate. Surrogacy is not right for every woman; you must prove that you are mentally and physically ready for the challenges ahead. Professionals ensure you are by setting strict surrogate requirements.
If you wish to become a surrogate, you must:
- Be between the ages of 21 and 45
- Have had at least one successful pregnancy and be raising a child at home
- Have a healthy BMI, usually between 19 and 33
- Have no ongoing mental health issues and no use of antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication
- Be at least a year out from your last pregnancy
- Not smoke or use illicit drugs, either currently or in the past
You may think that being a surrogate for family or friends means you don’t have to meet all these requirements, but that’s not true. Every prospective surrogate must meet these requirements for her own safety and best interest. You must also undergo a medical and psychological screening to confirm your eligibility.
For more information our program’s requirements and our exception policy, contact us now.
Step 2: Create a Legal Surrogacy Contract.
Once we’ve confirmed your eligibility as a gestational carrier, we will connect you with our partners at local law firm The Law Offices of Denise Bierly. They, in turn, will refer you with an experienced attorney, who will finalize your match with a legal surrogacy contract.
Every surrogacy must have a legal contract, even if you are becoming a surrogate for a family member or friend and share the same desires. In fact, many fertility clinics will not proceed with medical steps until a finalized contract is presented.
Surrogacy involves many complicated parts, and it comes with several risks and potential challenges. Even when both partners go into surrogacy with the best intentions, unexpected occurrences can put a great deal of tension and stress on this relationship. Having a legal contract in place outlining rights and responsibilities protects everyone involved.
Step 3: Complete the Medical Process of Surrogacy.
Once a surrogacy contract is finalized, you and your intended parents can start the medical process of surrogacy! This usually begins with an appointment at their fertility clinic, where their reproductive endocrinologist will prescribe fertility medication to regulate your menstrual cycle. After they deem you ready, you will undergo the embryo transfer process at the fertility clinic. Your pregnancy will typically be confirmed a few days afterward.
Step 4: Welcome the Intended Parents’ Baby!
During your pregnancy, you will stay in contact with the intended parents, updating them of milestones and even sharing certain prenatal appointments with them. During your second trimester, you will create a labor and delivery plan and be able to bring their child into the world with them. This is a life-changing moment; this achievement while serving as a surrogate for a friend or family member will change your relationship forever.
If you’re ready for the rewards of being a gestational surrogate for a friend or family member, contact our team today. We can explain how to become a surrogate mother for family members or friends in Pennsylvania — and how we’ll guide you through every step.
