Being a surrogate is a beautiful choice — but it’s not the right one for every woman. If you wish to be a surrogate in Pennsylvania, it’s going to take a lot more than just a desire to carry a child for someone else. You must also meet certain surrogate mother requirements.
That’s right — before you can start the surrogacy process, you must be aware of the basic gestational surrogate requirements. Recommended by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and enforced by surrogacy professionals across the country, these qualifications for being a surrogate cannot be ignored.
So, what are the qualifications to be a surrogate mother in Pennsylvania — and how do you know if you’ve met them?
If you’re interested in a surrogacy journey, please contact our team online or by calling 814-237-7900. We can answer every question you have about the requirements to be a gestational surrogate in Pennsylvania and help determine whether you are eligible to become a surrogate with our program.
In the meantime, you can learn a bit more below.
Our Program’s Surrogate Mother Requirements
Every prospective surrogate who wants to work with our team of professionals must first submit an application online. This will give us more information about your social and medical background and help us confirm your eligibility for surrogacy.
You’ll find that our program’s criteria for being a surrogate in Pennsylvania are the same as that of other professionals. They include:
- Being between the ages of 21-45
- At least one successful pregnancy
- No more than five previous deliveries or three deliveries via cesarean section
- A healthy BMI, usually between 19-30
- No ongoing mental health issues and no use of antidepressants or anti-anxiety medicine for a substantial time
- No smoking or using illicit drugs, or being a former smoker or drug user
- At least one year’s time from the last pregnancy
- Passing a medical screening for certain health conditions and sexually transmitted infections
- Completing a psychological evaluation
You may also be required to meet additional criteria for being a surrogate, depending on the intended parents’ fertility clinic. You must be medically approved by a reproductive endocrinologist and psychologically approved by a mental health professional, no matter your personal situation.
In addition, you should be prepared for our team completing certain background checks and clearances. You must also be financially stable and have the support of your spouse.
Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis, but that’s up to the discretion of our surrogacy team and the fertility clinic that you work with. If you want to learn more about our requirements to be a gestational surrogate, please give our team a call at 814-237-7900 or contact us online.
Why are there Qualifications to Become a Surrogate in Pennsylvania?
We admire the desire and dedication many women have to becoming surrogates and helping to create families. We also understand that the requirements to become a surrogate can be frustrating, especially if you don’t meet them all. Maybe you’ve never given birth, but you want to share your uterus with a loved one in their family-building journey. Maybe you don’t meet our BMI requirements, but you are committed to eating healthier and exercising during pregnancy.
You may ask, “Why can’t I be a surrogate anyway? I’m willing to accept the risks and liabilities!”
If you’re feeling this frustration, we want you to remember that surrogacy is about more than just you. When you become a surrogate, you will work with an intended parent who has often spent years and a great deal of money to get to this point. They want the best chances of success possible.
That’s why surrogacy professionals like Central PA Surrogacy set surrogate requirements. These qualifications have proven to give the best chance of emotional and medical success for all involved. Think about it: If you were an intended parent with one embryo remaining, would you want to place your hope in a woman who has never been pregnant before — and might not even be able to get pregnant at all?
Similarly, surrogacy professionals want the same chances of success. They’re unwilling to accept prospective surrogates who do not meet the base requirements of surrogacy, as those women are likely to get turned away by the fertility clinic during the medical screening. So, even if you complete an independent journey, you will still be ruled ineligible for the process if you don’t meet these requirements.
Establishing criteria for being a surrogate is about more than just the intended parents, though; it’s about your safety, too. Being a surrogate without knowledge of the emotional and physical demands of pregnancy and childbirth is dangerous and a bad idea.
If you don’t meet gestational surrogate requirements in Pennsylvania but still wish to help intended parents, you can explore donating your eggs to hopeful parents in need.
Learn More About Our Surrogate Qualifications Today
However, remember that surrogacy professionals (including Central PA Surrogacy) are known to make exceptions to surrogate requirements, as long as you are medically approved by a fertility clinic. If you are truly ready for surrogacy, please give our team a call at 814-237-7900 or contact us online. We can discuss your personal circumstances and help determine whether surrogacy is the right path for you.
