There are some legal boundaries for surrogacy. Though it’s a beautiful thing to do because being a mother for someone else’s happiness is a nice and great thing to do. There are certain laws and legislations that you have to abide by. You have to contact a surrogacy agency and their surrogacy professionals.
To initiate the process of becoming a surrogate mother is to meet the agency’s qualifications and pass its screening requirements , after consulting with a surrogacy professional. This screening procedure helps to protect the health and safety of the surrogate mother as well as the baby and ensure the physical and psychological readiness for the surrogacy process.
Qualifications of Becoming a Surrogate:
- According to standards formulated by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the general qualifications for becoming a surrogate may include:
- Be within a certain age range of 21 to 45. It may vary according to the agency you are choosing.
- Keep a healthy BMI (body mass index) of 30 or less .
- No use of drugs and no smoking is allowed.
- No government assistance
- You should have a history of at least one previous successful pregnancy but not more than five normal vaginal births or three cesarean section deliveries
- Be currently bringing up your child / children at your place.
- You shouldn’t have any major complications in previous pregnancies.
- You shouldn’t have any criminal history.
- Be free of any sexually transmitted diseases.
- You should not have any history of post -partum depression.
- You should stop intake of any kind of antidepressants or antianxiety drugs for at least 12 months prior to this surrogacy.
- You should not do any piercing or tattoo in your body from 12months before this surrogacy.
- Be open to travelling as per appointment requirements.
- Surround with nice homely people and maintain a stable & healthy lifestyle.
Surrogacy screening process
To qualify the surrogacy screening test process, you have to have certain qualifications. Depending upon the following elements the surrogacy screening process goes on –
There are certain elements you should abide by –
An application:- at first you have apply for the surrogate mother role. And you have to fill-up an application form that will contain some general questions about yourself and your reasons to pursue surrogacy. After submitting this initial application, you will be contacted by a surrogacy specialist, who will ask more information from you in detail.
Social and medical history information:- social and medical histories are also verified by surrogacy agencies while applying for surrogacy. This could be asked in your initial application. In most of the cases, the social and medical history forms provided by a surrogacy agency mainly assesses details of your personality, your family details, your health history and about you.
A physical examination:- you have to go through all the physical examinations that are important for surrogacy and you should do all the diagnostic tests to make surrogacy possible in a healthy way.
An in-home assessment:- to motivate you to go through this journey of surrogacy some social workers may come to your place. This experience of meeting may help you to get an opportunity to know more and learn more about this process of surrogacy.
Background checks:- you have to agree with and abide by the standards of criminal records, otherwise application for surrogacy would be cancelled.
A mental health evaluation:- you will get the exposure to the counseling of mental health professionals. They will assess your mental health to see if you ready for surrogacy or not.
Medical Requirements for Surrogates
As your health is so important to a successful surrogacy, it will be neatly monitored throughout the entire surrogacy process, from the time you are screened to the delivery of the baby. Because you are applying for surrogacy, you will have to undergo various medical tests and procedures and take fertility medications throughout the process.
The medical eligibilities for the would be surrogate mothers can be divided in several stages:
Medical screening: This is part of the screening process. It will involve a physical examination and variety of laboratory testing to assess your health condition. You will be screened for sexually transmitted diseases and other communicable diseases, as well as certain viruses and infections that can affect your fertility. You may need to undergo an ultrasound to determine the health of your uterus, and there is a possibility that you will be screened for drug use. Your spouse or partner will likely also need to be screened for STDs and drug use.
Fertility treatments: After signing legal contracts with the intended parents, you will need to prepare for surrogate pregnancy with multiple fertility treatments, blood tests, injections and ultrasounds throughout the embryo transfer process (as well as through the beginning of your pregnancy). You will be prescribed several medications, such as birth control pills and other hormones, which will help regulate your cycle and prepare you for in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Embryo transfer: The intended mother’s (or donor’s) egg will be fertilized in the laboratory using the intended father’s (or donor’s) sperm. After a brief incubation period, it will be time to transfer the fertilized embryo into your uterus for implantation. This procedure is relatively quick and painless and usually does not require medication or anesthesia. You may be required to stay at the fertility clinic for a few hours and rest for a few days after the transfer.
Prenatal care: You have to make routine visits to the fertility clinic to check health status through regular blood tests and ultrasounds. Once the baby’s heartbeat is heard and healthy pregnancy is pretty much assured without any complications , you might be transferred to your own OB. You will get prenatal care as you would have with any pregnancy, though checkups may be more frequent to ensure the health of the baby.
Legal requirements for surrogacy-
- Before beginning of any medical procedures, the surrogate and the intended parents must agree to and sign the contract, which will precisely say that all of the legal aspects of the surrogacy, including:
- Compensation
- Possible risks
- Responsibilities of the surrogate
- Relinquishment of the child
MHT India aims to provide support to the community and all our readers.
Feel like talking to a professional? MHT Directory has you covered. Click on this link to see the profiles of different mental health professionals who can help you in different ways.
