Welcome Carrot Fertility Members. Family Inceptions is now part of the Carrot Fertility Network. Click to read more.
Welcome Carrot Fertility Members. Family Inceptions is now part of the Carrot Fertility Network. Click to read more.

Becoming a Surrogate: 5 Things to Do During the 2 Week Waiting Period

Congratulations! You are officially a gestational surrogate. After months of contract negotiations, weeks of appointments, and endless medications, you finally had the embryo transfer. Now you wait… 

The transfer is over, and now all that is left for you to do is wait. For two long weeks. We can almost guarantee that these two weeks of your life will feel endless. Rest assured, however, that these two weeks are just as long as any other two weeks, and before you know it, it’ll be time for your Beta test to determine if you’re pregnant. Here are a few things that you can do to help pass the time while you wait.

Binge watch some Netflix
Your doctor will likely ask you to take it easy for a few days following transfer anyway, so why not dive right into a binge-watching session? It’ll take your mind off of the transfer and give you something else to focus on. By the time you’re through a full season (or heck, a full series) it’ll be about time for your blood pregnancy test.

Take the kids on a trip.
Within reason, of course. This is a great time to plan a low key get away with the family. If you are pregnant, soon you’ll be under travel restrictions. That means this is the best time to escape! You’ll be so busy planning and enjoying your long weekend trip that you won’t have time to focus on if your transfer took or not. Just make sure to behave as if you’re already pregnant. That means no alcohol or extreme activities.

Read a book.
If TV isn’t your thing, this is a great time to take in a new book. You’ll be equally still, which can be great for a growing baby and swept away to a land of imagination.

Start a Blog.
Let’s face it. Surrogacy is interesting. If you’re going to be doing this journey, people are going to be interested in hearing about it. Sharing your experiences with a blog or private Facebook group is a great way to keep people in the loop with what is going on with your journey. Since it’s fresh on your mind and you’re just at the start of things, right now is a perfect time to get started.

Take a home pregnancy test.
OK, so technically we tend to advise against this. Home tests aren’t as accurate as a blood pregnancy test. They can give false negatives easily, and depending on your medical protocol, they can even give false positives. Even so, taking home pregnancy tests is kind of a rite of passage that many surrogates will do despite our warnings not to. If you’re going to test at home, try to wait a full seven days. And please don’t share results with your intended parents unless they specifically want to know. Giving false positives or negatives can be heartbreaking!

For some, the wait will be slightly less than two weeks. Some clinics order blood beta tests starting as soon as 7-9 days. Be aware that testing earlier than 14 days can result in a lower number or even the absence of a positive pregnancy test. No matter when you have your first beta, you can expect at least one additional follow up test to confirm that your numbers are rising properly.

Leave a Comment