Becoming a surrogate mother is a noble decision, and one we hope you are ready to take. If you are considering going through the gestational surrogate process, we need you to first meet the necessary and standard surrogate qualifications in Maine.
You can get started on the surrogacy process at any time. Just fill out our form to get started today.
Step 1: Basic Requirements and Initial Application
To become a surrogate, there are basic Maine requirements for surrogacy. These cover things like age, previous pregnancies, home life and more. You need to meet these standard requirements to become a surrogate.
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Between the ages of 21-40
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No major complications in previous pregnancies
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Currently raising a child
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No felony convictions
If you feel you meet these requirements, you can submit your initial application. Your application may also include questions about the Maine surrogacy requirements to ensure you can continue with the process.
Step 2: Social and Medical History Form
After processing your application, you will then go through the screening process of social and medical history forms. These will require you to fill out information about you and your family’s backgrounds. This helps to understand if you are medically viable for surrogacy. We will also gather documents including:
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Insurance card
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Driver’s license
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Signed medical release
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Recommendation letter from your OBGYN
Step 3: In-Home Assessment
The in-home assessment is a standard Maine surrogacy requirement in line with many other states. We must verify that you have a stable home environment and that your support system is ready to go along through the surrogacy process with you. A licensed social worker will conduct the home visit and sit down with you and the members of your household to go over various questions, including:
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Motivations for surrogacy
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Fears or concerns about surrogacy
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Spouse or parent’s commitment to surrogacy
There may also be questions about the emotional process of preparing for surrogacy. The social worker will talk with you and your family about things like counseling, personality testing, the “what ifs” of the process and how everyone might feel after the baby is given to the intended parents after delivery.
Step 4: Medical Evaluation
Once you have gone through and met every other Maine surrogacy requirement, you will finally move on to the medical evaluation. By this point, you will already be matched with intended parents. During this process, you will meet with the intended parents’ fertility clinic to ensure you are physically ready for the embryo transfer. All prospective surrogates must go through this process as recommended by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). This process includes:
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Review of personal and sexual history
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Physical exam with a Saline Infusion Sonohysterography
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Lab testing with blood and urine analysis
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Letter from your physician stating you passed the screening and are able to carry a baby to term
Once you have completed the evaluations and met the standards of the medical process, you will finally be able to move forward with the surrogacy process. You will be able to move on to the surrogacy contract process and finally begin preparation to carry a child including fertility treatments and ultimately, the embryo transfer.
While it might seem like there are a lot of surrogacy qualifications in Maine, it's all for the health and safety of you and the baby. We want to make sure that you are prepared to have a successful surrogacy. We are with you through the whole journey and your surrogacy specialist will be there to answer any of your questions and concerns along the way.
If you are ready to begin the surrogacy process, contact us today to get started today.