When you become a gestational carrier, you always have the right to decide exactly what kind of intended parents you will carry for. It only makes sense; you will be partnered with this individual or couple for a year or more, so it’s important that you are carrying for someone you are 100 percent excited to work with.
Many surrogates have characteristics in mind for their ideal surrogacy partner. Some even tell our surrogacy specialists, “I want to be a surrogate for gay men or lesbian women. How can American Surrogacy help?”
We’re glad you asked. Below, you can find out more about the process of becoming a surrogate for gay intended parents and helping them reach their family dreams with our agency. To get started today, we encourage you to submit your pre-application or contact our surrogacy specialists at 1-800-875-BABY(2229).
Can I Become a Surrogate for an LGBT Couple?
American Surrogacy’s matching process is mutual, which means prospective surrogates get just as much say in who they carry for as intended parents do in who carries their child. This often includes characteristics such as marital status, distance, relationship desires and more.
But, did you know that sexual orientation and gender identity can be one of your choices, too?
That’s right — American Surrogacy proudly works with many LGBT intended parents, and we are happy to match the best surrogates with them for their family-building journey. Creating the most successful surrogacy partnerships is always at the top of our list. If you join our program and are interested in becoming a surrogate for gay couples or others in the LGBTQ community, our surrogacy specialists will always help you reach that goal.
American Surrogacy is proud to offer our services to hopeful parents regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Our specialists work hard to protect the interests and rights of all of our intended parents — and the surrogates who carry for them. If you are wondering how to become a surrogate mother for a gay couple or individual, rest assured we will help you reach that goal and fulfill your personal surrogacy dreams in as successful a way as possible.
How Do I Go About Becoming a Surrogate for Gay Intended Parents?
If you contact our agency and tell us, “I want to be a surrogate for same-sex parents,” our surrogacy specialists will get you started on the appropriate track right away. We are happy to match you with LGBT intended parents by guiding you through every step of the gestational surrogacy process.
When you first contact our agency about being a gestational carrier, there are a few steps you’ll follow:
Step 1: Meet Surrogacy Requirements.
Before you can start looking at prospective LGBT intended parents, you must first be approved for the surrogacy process. This means meeting a set of medical and emotional health requirements. Surrogacy is not the right path for everyone, so it’s important that you are 100 percent ready for the challenges and rewards before starting.
Before becoming a surrogate for a LGBT couple or individual, you must:
- Be between the ages of 21 and 38
- Have a BMI between 19 and 32
- Have carried at least one pregnancy successfully to term and be raising a child in your own home
- Have no major complications in your pregnancy history
- Not be on antidepressants or antianxiety medication for at least 12 months
- Be six months out from your last vaginal or cesarean-birth
These are just a few of the requirements you’ll need to meet before moving forward. Talk with a surrogacy specialist for more information on our agency’s requirements, including whether certain exceptions can be made.
Step 2: Determine Your Preferences for Intended Parents.
Once you are approved for surrogacy, your surrogacy specialist will help you make a surrogate profile. Intended parents will view your profile to determine if you are the right match for them.
Similarly, you will be able to view profiles of intended parents who meet your preferences. In addition to sexuality and gender identity, you can also choose characteristics such as:
- Location
- Age
- Marital status
- Contact desires
- And more
Your surrogacy specialist will ensure that you are presented profiles of LGBT intended parents who only meet your personal preferences.
Step 3: Get to Know a Prospective Match.
After you and intended parents express mutual interest in each other, your surrogacy specialist will set up a conference call. This call will give you a chance to get to know each other — to ask any remaining questions you may have about them, their desires for surrogacy, and more.
Many surrogates describe this call as similar to a “first date.” You will all be nervous, but you’ll often be able to tell quickly whether or not a partnership is going to work out.
If your first match doesn’t seem to be perfect, don’t worry — you can start looking at intended parent profiles again to find the right match for you. You may even decide that becoming a surrogate for a gay couple or individual is not right for you; that’s okay, too. Your surrogacy specialist will help you find the perfect partner, no matter how long it may take.
Step 4: Sign Your Surrogacy Contract.
When you and your intended parents are ready to move forward, you will finalize your match with a legal surrogacy contract. You will be represented by your own separate lawyer, who will protect your rights and interests. The intended parents’ lawyer will work with them to do the same, including navigating any legal issues with being an LGBT intended parent in your state of residence.
You cannot move forward with gestational surrogacy until your contract is signed. Rest assured — all of your legal costs will be covered by your intended parents.
Step 5: Complete the Medical Process of Surrogacy.
Once you have a finalized surrogacy contract, you will start working with your intended parents’ fertility clinic to prepare for the embryo transfer process. In many ways, this process is the same as if you were carrying for heterosexual intended parents. However, if your intended parents are going through a fresh embryo cycle, your menstrual cycle may need to line up with the egg donor (if applicable). This will all be determined early on in the surrogacy process.
Once the embryo transfer is complete and your pregnancy is confirmed, you will carry the intended parents’ baby to term, following the contact schedule you negotiated in your surrogacy contract. You will give birth to the baby and be paid your final compensation installment, and then your journey carrying for LGBT intended parents will be complete!
Want to Carry for LGBT Intended Parents? Get Started With Our Agency
Does becoming a surrogate for gay or lesbian intended parents sound like the right path for you? American Surrogacy is here to help.
Whether you are interested in learning more about how to become a surrogate for a gay couple, or you want to learn more about the gestational surrogacy process in general, we encourage you to reach out to our specialists online or at 1-800-875-BABY(2229). They will guide you through every single step toward making your surrogacy dreams a reality!