Being a surrogate is a beautiful, life-changing journey. Unfortunately, it’s not always right for everyone.
Anyone who becomes a surrogate must be ready for the physical and emotional challenges ahead. Even in the best surrogacy journeys, there are always risks. The best way to reduce these risks is by entering into the surrogacy process with a healthy body and mind.
And that’s where our program’s surrogate health requirements come into play.
To protect our surrogates and our intended parents, we require every prospective surrogate to meet certain health requirements for surrogacy before starting. These requirements are set at the advice of experienced assisted reproduction professionals, and they serve the important role of protecting you, should you choose to move ahead. In most cases, they are a non-negotiable part of the surrogacy application process.
We are always happy to answer your questions about this step in the surrogacy process. Give us a call at 814-237-7900 or contact us online anytime for more information about becoming a surrogate with our program. Your safety and well-being is always of the highest importance to us.
Central PA Surrogacy’s Surrogate Health Requirements
Before you can move forward with a surrogacy in Pennsylvania, you’ll need to meet some basic surrogate health requirements. These are typically the same regardless of professional you use; they are set as the best practice guidelines for all professionals in the area.
Unfortunately, if you do not meet these basic surrogate mother health requirements, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to move forward. However, some professionals do allow exceptions to certain rules. To learn about our exception policy, contact us today.
In the meantime, if you wish to be a surrogate in Pennsylvania, here are the requirements you’ll need to meet:
- Be between the ages of 21 and 45
- Have had at least one successful pregnancy
- Be raising a child of your own in your home
- Have no more than five previous deliveries (or three deliveries via cesarean section)
- Have a healthy BMI, usually between 19 and 33
- Have no ongoing mental health issues and no use of antidepressants or antianxiety medication
- No smoking or using illicit drugs, currently or in the past
- Be at least a year out from your last pregnancy
It’s important to note that every fertility clinic will have slightly different rules when it comes to health requirements for surrogacy. Ultimately, it will be up to a reproductive endocrinologist as to whether or not you are eligible to be a surrogate. This will be determined during a surrogate medical screening that you complete after matching with intended parents. During this screening, their reproductive endocrinologist will examine your overall health and reproductive health to confirm your ability to carry for the intended parents.
You will also need to complete a psychological screening with a mental health professional. This will prepare you for the potential emotional challenges awaiting you.
You can always contact our team for more information on the medical requirements to be a surrogate in Pennsylvania with our program.
Surrogate Health Requirements FAQs
As mentioned, the best person to talk to about Pennsylvania health requirements to be a surrogate mother will be a reproductive endocrinologist. A lot of factors determine your eligibility as a gestational carrier, and these are best evaluated by an experienced professional.
That said, there are a few common questions we receive about surrogate health requirements. We’ve briefly answered them here to help you learn more, but we always encourage you to speak with a local medical professional for personalized guidance.
1. Can I be a surrogate after tubal ligation?
Yes — in fact, this is the preferable situation for many people. When you undergo surrogacy after a tubal ligation, you will be unable to get pregnant with your own children. Most surrogates bear the inherent risk of becoming pregnant with their own child when taking fertility medication, but that won’t be an issue for you. Your intended parents will likely be relieved to find out that you are being a surrogate after having your tubes tied.
2. Can a woman in menopause be a surrogate?
This will depend upon the clinic you work with but, in most situations, the answer will be no. If you wish to be a surrogate mother in menopause, you are likely older than 45 — which is often the cut-off age for prospective surrogates. After menopause, the risk of complications increases, and many intended parents are uncomfortable with taking those on. Check with a local fertility clinic to determine whether you are otherwise healthy enough to be a surrogate mother after menopause in Pennsylvania.
3. How many times can you be a surrogate?
Again, every fertility clinic will set their own rules for this, but the American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends no more than five vaginal deliveries or three cesarean deliveries for surrogates, regardless of how many of those deliveries were for gestational pregnancies.
Your delivery history will just be one aspect of your medical background used to determine your eligibility.
4. Can you be a surrogate without having given birth?
Many women have the desire to help someone else become parents — but, if you haven’t been pregnant and had a child yourself, you cannot provide those services for someone else. Intended parents simply aren’t comfortable with a surrogate mother without a previous pregnancy; they want a gestational carrier who has proven her ability to safely conceive and carry a child to term without complications. For this reason, Central PA Surrogacy and any other professionals will not let you pursue a Pennsylvania surrogacy without a previous pregnancy.
5. What are the BMI requirements for surrogacy?
As mentioned above, most clinics will require gestational carriers to have a BMI between 19 and 33. Pregnancy while overweight or underweight brings additional risks that intended parents wish to avoid, which is why you will be disqualified if you do not meet surrogate mother weight requirements. For more information on this topic, please speak with a local medical professional.
6. Can I be a surrogate if I have a history of depression?
A history of depression doesn’t necessarily disqualify you from surrogacy. However, you cannot be a surrogate if you’re on antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication; you must cease using these medications at least a year before becoming a surrogate.
Remember that surrogacy is an emotional journey. If your history of depression will make it more difficult to respond to the ups and downs along the way, this may not be the right path for you. Always be honest with your mental health professional about this history during your psychological screening; the truth will always come out.
7. What pregnancy conditions disqualify you from surrogacy?
As mentioned above, intended parents want to work with a surrogate candidate who can give them the best chance of success. That typically means a woman who has had no complications in previous pregnancies.
However, there is such a wide range of potential complications that it’s tough to say which ones do and don’t prevent a woman from being a surrogate. For example, we often receive questions like:
- Can you be a surrogate after preeclampsia?
- Can you be a surrogate after ablation?
- Can you pursue surrogacy with endometriosis?
- Can you be a surrogate if you’ve had C-sections?
The best way to find out if these complications disqualify you is by speaking with a trusted medical professional. If you haven’t already, reach out to a local fertility clinic or even your OBGYN to learn about whether your personal health history will prevent you from taking this journey.
Any woman who meets our basic surrogate health requirements in Pennsylvania is welcome to start the process by contacting us online or calling us at 814-237-7900. We’re excited to work with you!
