No matter where you choose to start your surrogacy journey, be prepared for an extensive application process. Some agencies ask you to fill out a quick and simple initial application, and move right into one-on-one interviews and medical and psychological screening. We do things a bit differently. At Family Inceptions, we work with only the most dedicated, competent, and qualified women – and we’ve designed our application process to find just that elite group of potential gestational surrogates.
Here’s a run down of the application process, and an explanation of each step along the way.
The initial application to become a surrogate can be quite lengthy. Not only must a woman meet all of the criteria required by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) but agencies also want to make sure the surrogate understands the level of commitment and involvement she and her family must undergo.
The application covers medical and reproductive past but also goes into details about her personality, lifestyle, family, education and employment history and why she will make a great surrogate. These answers are extremely important as this is the first impression agencies will see of the surrogate. Our surrogate coordinators want to get to know the surrogate very well, from the get go, so that they are able to match her with like-minded parents. This helps build a lasting relationship between families as the surrogacy journey begins.
Portions of the surrogacy application will also be sent to the intended parents so that they can get to know more about the potential surrogate who will carry their child. The intended parents are trusting the surrogate with their child for 9 months! Try to place yourself in their shoes. How would you feel if your child was placed with someone you did not know for 9 months? They lived hundreds of miles from you and you could not visit your child. You also had no control over how your child was being cared for, how your child was developing or growing, or who was around your child? This is what intended parents go through. There is a lot of prayer, trust, and communication needed in this process and surrogates must me mindful of what parents have gone through prior to the surrogacy journey as well as during the process. Many intended parents have endured permanent loss of fertility, multiple miscarriages, failed fertility treatments and a great financial loss. Surrogates must be mindful of these issues as they begin working with intended parents and should be understanding of communication and involvement expectations during the journey. This may be the parent’s only chance at having their own child.
The application helps the surrogacy coordinators determine if there are any underlying conditions or past history that may disqualify the surrogate later on in the process once she is participating in medical and psychiatric screenings or the in vitro fertilization procedures. The surrogacy journey involves a lot money, time, paperwork, doctor appointments and commitment even before the embryo transfer takes place. The details included in the application can save a lot of time, work and heartache (on the part of the surrogate and intended parents) later on down the road, if surrogacy coordinators are able to locate potential elements that may cause ineligibility from the beginning.
It is so important that surrogates take the time to complete the application with accuracy and details as it is the first impression agencies get from that individual. Incomplete responses and erroneous spelling and grammar usage can make or break your eligibility to become a surrogate. Surrogacy involves a major commitment to the life of a child. Committing to the extensive application process is the first step.
Ready to take the next step?
Find out your Surrogacy Score and see if you meet the initial qualifications to become a gestational surrogate.
What is the surrogacy process like?
Learn more about the surrogacy journey from the perspective of a current gestational carrier: The Real Reason I Became a Surrogate
